Which teams made the biggest strides to the Stanley Cup? Which teams made the smartest moves towards rebuilding? Which teams stood pat but shouldn’t have? Which teams smartly stood pat?

Here is the Puck Daddy 2015 NHL trade deadline report card. Keep in mind we factor in the days leading up to the deadline day as well.

Anaheim Ducks: A-

If Bruce Boudreau fails to get out of the second round again, it won’t be because GM Bob Murray didn’t fill his tool chest. The James Wisniewski deal brings a longer term than one might want, but it also brings a known quantity who can help the power play. Simon Despres for Ben Lovejoy? Larceny. Korbinian Holzer, when healthy, can help. And Tomas Fleischmann is a depth offensive player that Boudreau knows well. Full speed ahead. Don’t blow it, Brucey.

Arizona Coyotes: A

What a difference actual ownership makes. The Coyotes move out Keith Yandle, Zybnek Michalek and Antoine Vermette and actually retain salary in each deal to make them work with their trade partners’ caps. The haul was impressive, too: Klas Dahlbeck, Anthony Duclair, Maxim Letunov, two firsts and a second. Tanking and “resetting.” It’s the Don Maloney way.

Boston Bruins: C

Brett Connolly is an RFA at the end of the season, and is a far better use of two second-round picks than on an older player. There’s reason to believe he could be a top sixer, but he was a bottom-sixer who played with some edge this season for Tampa. Max Talbot is not a good player at this point in his career, although shipping out Jordan Caron for him isn’t a huge loss (and Colorado retains salary).

At the very least, Peter Chiarelli chose the right path: Attempting to pivot to younger, cheaper talent rather than overpaying for a rental. But perhaps there was some middle ground left uncovered, a move that could help now and later. Connolly doesn’t quite get there for us, which means the Bruins failed to make a move that ensures them a playoff seed.

Buffalo Sabres: A-

Dumped more bodies, collected more picks. The second-rounder for Chris Stewart is about right. And they shipped out Michal Neuvirth, who was really playing much too well for a team built to lose every game.

Calgary Flames: B+

Nice haul of picks for players that no longer fit into the plans. A second and a third for Curtis Glencross. A second for Sven Baertschi, who wanted out and who wasn’t working. A nice deadline for Brad Treliving, overshadowed by the depressing, devastating loss of Mark Giordano for the season. (The Flames kept that under wraps as long as they could to try and find help on ‘D’ to no avail.)

Undaunted by Patrick Kane’s injury, Stan Bowman goes all-in for a Cup run. Antoine Vermette helps this team in several areas. Kimmo Timonen could be the steal of the deadline if he remains healthy – those old wheels had a lot of rest this season. There’s also a lot to like about Andrew Desjardins in their bottom six. The Hawks gave up plenty at the deadline, but they added plenty, too.

Colorado Avalanche: C+

Two little moves – adding Freddie Hamilton and Mat Clark – and one slightly bigger one in flipping Max Talbot for Jordan Caron. They probably should have moved Danny Briere and Jan Hejda, but didn’t. But they also didn’t move Ryan O’Reilly, which is a good thing.

Columbus Blue Jackets: C-

The Nathan Horton/David Clarkson swap was ingenious and creative, but at the end of the day it’s still a bad contract on their books -- no retention of salary from the Leafs. The Jordan Leopold trade was heartwarming, but could actually help in adding Justin Falk. A second-rounder and William Karlsson were the additions for sending James Wisniewski back to the Ducks. They were probably better off trading Cam Atkinson than re-signing him.

Dallas Stars: B

You have to like the return Jim Nill got for Erik Cole: Mattias Backman was a top 10 prospect for the Wings, Mattas Janmark has potential and a second-rounder. Would have liked to have seen Shawn Horcoff flipped for something, but it sounds like Dallas wants him around.

Detroit Red Wings: B

Erik Cole doesn’t have a goal in his last 34 playoff games, which is … wow. Not a fan of his game, but as an insurance policy at forward he’s decent, despite a hefty price from the Stars. Marek Zidlicky, on the other hand, is a puck-mover with lots of experience and a nice add for Ken Holland. But the biggest win: Staying off Phaneuf.

So the Oilers spend a second round draft pick on Jeff Petry in 2006, develop him for five years until he is finally good enough to be a key ingredient on their blueline, and then trade him away for a second round draft pick.

The Oilers did nothing, Craig MacTavish gave another “ALL IS WELL REMAIN CALM” press conference and Edmonton fans watch nearly every player they’ve given up on star for another team this season. Say, that Minnesota goalie’s pretty good…

Florida Panthers: B

The Cats did pretty well for themselves. Third rounder for Sean Bergenheim. Second rounder and the empty husk of Dany Heatley for Tomas Fleischmann. Giving up a second and a third for Jaromir Jagr was a bit much, but having him for the playoff push (and to rub off on the team’s younger stars) is a good thing. Deductions for not moving Tomas Kopecky and Scottie Upshall.

Los Angeles Kings: B

They gave up a conditional first for a rental in Andrej Sekera, which is an overpayment. But they also didn’t do something stupid like cutting bait with Justin Williams due to his contract status.

Minnesota Wild: B+

The Jordan Leopold thing goes beyond heartwarming tale – it gives them a much-needed veteran hand on that blueline. Sean Bergenheim needed a change in scenery and the Wild are a good landing spot. Chris Stewart gives that lineup some much needed size and snarl in the West. (The fact that Chuck Fletcher waited it out and only gave up a second-rounder is solid.) The Wild had needs, filled them, and are better now than they were last week.

Montreal Canadiens: A-

The Petry trade is a steal, even if he doesn’t re-sign. Just a smart move for a possession-driving defensively responsible blueliner. Devante Smith-Pelley for Jiri Sekac could be boom or bust. But adding Torrey Mitchell and Bryan Flynn for peanuts gives them some added depth up front.

Nashville Predators: B-

We can’t in good faith include the Cody Franson deal as a “deadline deal,” but knowing that they already made their big move means this deadline was a wash. It would have been nice to see them add a piece in the middle, but the market for centers – especially UFA centers – was atrocious.

New Jersey Devils: C

The Devils pulled “conditional draft picks” from the Red Wings for Zidlicky and got a second ad a conditional third for Jagr. That’s good. That they were unable to unload anything else from this overage, overpaid and underwhelming roster? That’s bad. But someone was under the de-LOU-sion they were contenders, so the sell-off started late.

New York Islanders: B+

The Islanders added Dustin Jeffrey for Cory Conacher, who has officially reached journeyman status. They added Tyler Kennedy, a nice veteran for the bottom six. And they upgraded their backup goalie slot with Neuvirth. Smart, little moves from GM Garth Snow, who has made all the right ones this season.

New York Rangers: A

Screw the future and reach for the Cup. The Keith Yandle trade might be known as the Anthony Duclair trade in five years, but you have to give to get and the Rangers now have the deepest defense in the NHL. James Sheppard in and Lee Stempniak out were good little moves too. This team has a window to win for the next 2-3 years. You can’t kill them for trying to jump through it.

Ottawa Senators: C

The Senators are living in that no man’s land of contention and looking at next year. But they ended the deadline with a logjam on defense and with the contracts of David Legwand, Milan Michalek and Colin Greening still on the books.

Philadelphia Flyers: A-

It may not top the idiocy of the Thrashers sending Braydon Coburn for Alexei Zhitnik, but the Flyers pulling a first, a third and Radko Gudas for Coburn was a coup, even if Coburn plays well for the Lightning. The Flyers also snagged a second rounder for the waning days of Kimmo Timonen. The first time in a long time one feels the Flyers have a steady hand, and a plan, in the GM’s office.

Pittsburgh Penguins: C+

Giving up on Simon Despres was more indicative of the organization’s depth on the blue line than his development … which is why one hoped they’d had flipped him for help up front. But they love them some Ben Lovejoy, who really found his game playing for Bruce Boudreau. Then they add another defenseman in Ian Cole, who could never find a steady gig with the Blues. This felt like a deadline where the Penguins had something major in the works that just never materialized.

San Jose Sharks: C-

A few bodies dumped, Ben Smith acquired for Desjardins … a tough deadline for the Sharks being in contention, which meant they might have hung onto some players (Niemi) that might have otherwise been traded. But they needed a kick in the pants and Doug Wilson couldn't deliver one.

St. Louis Blues: B+

Zybnek Michalek was a smart move by Doug Armstrong, provided he’s healthy. He and Robert Bortuzzo bolster an already stout defense. The Olli Jokinen deal … who knows how much he can actually give you. But it’s another veteran who can score goals, and goals have been the Blues’ undoing in the postseason in our opinion.

Tampa Bay Lightning: C+

Steve Yzerman preaches about not overpaying at the deadline and conserving first-round picks … and then overpays at the deadline and trades a first-round pick. This isn’t to say Coburn won’t work out in Tampa, because he’s a good fit for what they do. This is just to say that a first-rounder and a third-rounder AND Radko Gudas is the best argument we’ve seen for not making trades at 2 a.m. But getting two seconds for spare part Brett Connolly was nice.

Toronto Maple Leafs: A

The Leafs’ selloff saw them turn Daniel Winnik into Zach Sill, a second and a fourth; Korbinian Holzer into Eric Brewer’s expiring contract; Olli Jokinen into anything; and David Clarkson into cap space. A nice first whack of the wrecking ball before the big names (Phaneuf, Lupul, Bozak) are shown the door.

Vancouver Canucks: B

They didn’t move Zack Kassian, which was commendable. They took a chance on Sven Baertschi, who wanted out of Calgary, costing them a second rounder. Cory Conacher get another tour stop. They’re a playoff team, which meant nothing dramatic with their higher-priced players.

Washington Capitals: A-

A few years removed from Filip Forsberg-for-Martin Erat, it’s good to see sanity reign at the deadline. Renting Curtis Glencross for a second and a third is great; there was plenty of interest in him and the Caps won the derby. The addition of Tim Gleason to that blue line ... it’s an expiring contract on their last pairing that gives them more size and experience.

Winnipeg Jets: B

Kevin Cheveldayoff made his first player-for-player deal this season and now he can’t stop! Lee Stempniak adds a little offense in exchange for Carl Klingberg. Jiri Tlusty, acquired with draft picks, might have been a product of playing with Eric Staal but brings some goal scoring to the lineup. We’re just excited to see this team adding at the deadline … although subtracting Frolik would have been fine, too.

The captain had a 4-point night in the Islanders’ 6-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. That included two third-period goals to put the game away. Anders Lee also had four points.

No. 2 Star: Drew Stafford, Winnipeg Jets

The new Jet scored a critical goal in the second period and won the four-round shootout for Winnipeg in a 5-4 win over the Detroit Red Wings. Fellow newbie Tyler Myers had two assists.

No. 3 Star: Thomas Vanek, Minnesota Wild

Vanek opened the game with two goals and added an assist as the Wild defeated the Carolina Hurricanes, 6-3.

Honorable Mention: David Desharnais had the winner in the shootout as the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, 2-1. P.K. Subban had an assist and played a career regular-season high 35:21. … Milan Michalek had two goals and an assist in the Ottawa Senators’ 7-2 rout of he Edmonton Oilers. … Matt Cullen and Craig Smith had a goal and an assist and Pekka Rinne had 21 saves in the Nashville Predators’ 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils. … Rick Nash scored his 35th in the New York Rangers’ 5-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes. Cam Talbot made 34 saves and stopped Tobias Rieder on a penalty shot. … Alex Tanguay had a goal and an assist and Jarome Iginla scored goal No. 18 in the Colorado Avalanche’s 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars. … Huge win for the Calgary Flames, 3-2 over the Vancouver Canucks. … Sean Monahan had two goals and Lance Bouma had the game winner in the third. … Despite Alex Ovechkin’s 34th, the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Washington Capitals, 3-1. Jonathan Quick had 27 saves. … Lindy Ruff pulled his goalie with over 10 minutes left in the game … and it worked!

Did You Know? Alain Vigneault won his 500th game.

Dishonorable Mention: Chris Neil broke his thumb in a fight is out indefinitely. … Viktor Fasth was pulled after giving up three goals on 15 shots. … Justin Schultz was a minus-3. … Alexander Wennberg and David Savard both were a minus-3. … Eric Staal and John-Michel Liles were minus-3. … Keith Yandle was a minus-3. …

“The Hobbit” scored twice, including the game-winning goal with 5:56 left in the third period to give the Rangers a 5-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Derick Brassard, Dominic Moore and Marc Staal each recorded two points, while Rick Nash added three helpers. Cam Talbot made 30 stops.

No. 2 Star: Jamie Benn, Dallas Stars

Benn scored twice and the Stars added two shorthanded goals as they beat the Boston Bruins 5-3. The Stars captain tallied his 17th and 18th goals of the season 3:15 apart late in the first period. Kari Lehtonen made 38 saves for his fourth win in six starts.

No. 3 Star: Robin Lehner, Ottawa Senators

Lehner made 35 saves, including 21 in the second period as the Senators edged the Buffalo Sabres 2-1. Erik Karlsson and Milan Michalek provided the goals as Ottawa ended a three-game slide.

Honorable Mention: Casey Cizikas scored with 4:37 left in the third period (thanks to a great effort from Colin McDonald) to snap a 2-2 tie and give the New York Islanders a 3-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers:

David Desharnais’ goal 3:27 into overtime gave the Montreal Canadiens a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Montreal has now won three in a row. Carey Price stopped 23 shots for win no. 30 on the season.

Jonathan Huberdeau tied a career high with three assists and Dave Bolland, Jimmy Hayes, Brian Campbell and Erik Gudbransen each chipped in two points as the Florida Panthers downed the Anaheim Ducks 6-2. Florida converted on three of their eight power plays to help win for the third time in four games … Dmitrij Jaskin’s second-period goal snapped tie game and was enough for the St. Louis Blues to get by the Arizona Coyotes 2-1. Jake Allen made 21 saves to help the Blues fend off a three-game losing streak … Pekka Rinne made 30 saves and James Neal was the overtime hero as the Nashville Predators defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2:

Here’s your save of the night, courtesy of Andrei Vasilevskiy:

Keep an eye on the puck during Erik Cole's empty-net goal:

Dustin Byfuglien’s goal with a minute left in overtime helped the Winnipeg Jets beat the Minnesota Wild 2-1. Michael Hutchinson made 29 saves for his first win in five starts.

Did You Know? “The Islanders have won eight straight home games against the Oilers, dating to 1999.” (AP)

]]>Tue, 10 Feb 2015 20:39:43 PSTSean LeahynhlPuck Daddyurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,e5d60e0a-4a6f-392c-891a-f245f1ef0c8a-l:1What We Learned: Are the Winnipeg Jets going to blow playoff chance?http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/what-we-learned--are-the-winnipeg-jets-going-to-blow-playoff-chance-151427086.html
(Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend’s events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it.)

The Winnipeg Jets are, at this moment, nicely ensconced in a playoff position, having taken 60 points from 51 games and leading the Kings by six points. As we know, six points is a long way out to find oneself at this point in the year.

As recently as a few weeks ago, they looked poised to continue a march up the standings and potentially even threaten for a spot in the divisional playoffs (though the idea of playing one of St. Louis or Chicago in the first round isn't that much more appetizing than Anaheim or Nashville). People were calling them on of the biggest surprises in the league, and praising to the heavens what Paul Maurice has done with this club.

And indeed, Maurice's work this year has for the most part been praiseworthy. They, the Winnipeg Jets of all the teams in the world, entered Sunday's games with the eighth-best possession numbers in the league and that surprisingly comfortable playoff spot, and a lot of that came because Ondrej Pavelec finally played himself out of a job (three years too late) and Michael Hutchinson was one of the best goaltenders in the league.

In fact, through the end of December, Hutchinson had the third-highest save percentage at 5-on-5 of any goalie with more than 600 minutes played (.949). This was, of course, in limited appearances — only 630 minutes, dwarfed by, say, Pekka Rinne (1,546) or Carey Price (1,433) — but still, you couldn't feel too badly about the Jets' chances going forward with this guy between the pipes, especially because he at least wasn't that other guy.

But Hutchinson, perhaps predictably, dropped off last month, with his ESsv% sliding about 20 points but more or less normalizing at the still-good level of about .925. The problem is that it's nowhere near elite at 16th in the league in January. Hutchinson always put up good numbers in the AHL and thus his crack at the starting job made a lot of sense, but now that he's regressing back toward being what he is — a potentially better than average goaltender at the NHL level, albeit marginally — we're going to start asking some harder questions about just how good these Jets really are.

The issue is a simple one: They've been pretty solid for the last few years, and really only held out of the playoffs by the organization's foolish insistence on starting Pavelec. In the last three seasons, his inability to stop pucks at anything approaching an reasonable rate cost the Jets a total of 15 points in the standings versus a league-average goaltender, and in the last two the additional points he cost (three and seven, respectively) would have put the team in the playoffs.

Hutchinson obviously papers over that issue just by being solid, and he's been a little better than that in point of fact. The odds that he gets much worse than this seem minimal based on his past performance. And the Jets don't have an easy out on the final 31 games of their schedule either, with four left against St. Louis; three with Vancouver; and two each with Nashville, Washington, and Chicago.

And the real concern is that the wheels have come off a bit lately at both ends of the ice. Their last three games, they've conceded 15 goals and scored just seven. Now, that followed a five-game winning streak so maybe it's just one of those things, but maybe the bounces are finally starting to go against them, too.

In terms of quality, the Jets are a solidly middle-of-the-pack team in the NHL or maybe a little better, but even before this little skid I'd have been wary of anointing them any sort of potential disruptor in the Western Conference. They're certainly not better than any of the teams ahead of them in the standings, both because they're behind them in the standings and they're just not as deep, and don't have the superstar players those clubs do. I think they're probably also a little worse than Vancouver and Los Angeles on paper. They're roughly on par with Dallas, I'd think, especially if the Stars' goaltending and defense can ever sort itself out in the way the forwards really have over the last month or so. They're at least clearly better than Calgary and Colorado, not that this is saying much.

So the question for the Jets, and more specifically for their fans, is whether that's good enough for them.

This is almost certainly going to be the first season the team makes the playoffs since it moved from Atlanta, and MTS Centre is going to be a cauldron for any team coming there for a maximum of three games. But those who formulated pretensions of a little more than that were always likely to go home for the summer disappointed. People in Winnipeg have long enjoyed blaming the incompetent operations of the Thrashers on the team's struggles, and a lot of that has been in the form of inheriting a team bereft of depth and carrying an awful goalie. Now those two issues are sorted out, but the lesson is that for all the good drafting done in recent years, those guys aren't ready yet.

Turning into an actual elite team is a process, obviously. The Jets are finally making steps in the right direction. That ought to be enough.

Arizona Coyotes: Shane Doan is “untouchable?” Why on earth would you not want to trade him?

Boston Bruins: Oh my god if Tuukka Rask can be, like, The Tuukka Rask down the stretch the Bruins are going to be a terrifying draw for a top seed in the postseason. Dude went .949 in January, and he's only at .920 for the season. Nowhere to go from up.

Edmonton Oilers: This was some really interesting stuff from Todd Nelson on Nail Yakupov and how the organization handles him. Turns out screaming at him and making him a healthy scratch isn't always a great idea.

Nashville Predators, America's Favorite Hockey Team: Good lord this shot from Gaby Bourque. Not a good area of the ice to turn it over, but this puck would have gone through Marc-Andre Fleury if he had gotten in the way of it.

New York Islanders: The good news is Lubomir Visnovsky is back in the lineup. The bad news is he's not Kyle Okposo.

New York Rangers: Chris Kreider is given a chance to go in on PK Subban and... doesn't take it? Doesn't he know you're supposed to hate Subban because he's Brash and Selfish?

Ottawa Senators: Two sets of brothers played each other on Saturday night: Rob and Mark Stone, and Zbynek and Milan Michalek. Reading the quotes after the Coyotes lost 7-2, you wouldn't have really been able to guess which team won or lost; both guys on the winning team sounded like they really felt sorry for their brothers.

Washington Capitals: The Caps have a lot of thoughts about the player tracking technology the league will soon be implementing? It's actually pretty interesting. Barry Trotz: “All stats that you get, doesn’t matter what you get, all analytics are all vital in terms of what you have in a player. They’re information that you can help to improve a player in a team concept or maybe individually.” Nerd.

Can't think of a more appropriate way for Alex Ovechkin to join an elite club. What a damn bomb.

Gold Star Award

Alex Ovechkin scored his 30th goal of the season yesterday, giving him 10 straight since he came into the league. That's a feat accomplished by only five guys ever in NHL history. You've probably heard of the other four guys: surefire Hall of Famers Jarome Iginla (11) and Jaromir Jagr (15), along with guys who already made it like Mike Gartner and Phil Esposito (15 each), Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Hull (13 each), Marcel Dionne (12), and Mike Bossy, Jarri Kurri, Darryl Sittler (10 each). That includes scoring more goals in a 48-game season in 2013 than Jagr did in 1995.

But yeah the guy's a bum and Washington should have let him go to the KHL years ago. Imagine being dumb enough to have believed that. Ovechkin has 453 goals in 729 career games. He is one of the greatest players ever, dawgs. Sorry.

Minus of the Weekend

Couldn't believe the Coyotes used an ECHL goaltender this weekend. And Louis Domingue got called up as well.

Dobber launched his fantasy hockey website DobberHockey back in 2005 and has been Puck Daddy's resident fantasy hockey 'expert' since 2009.

It's at this point in the season where, if you're competing for first, you should start scouring the waiver-wire for underperforming players who are on expiring contracts. Fantasy owners aren't exactly known for their patience, and they often drop players in December or January who could turn out to be hidden gems - if they're on a different team.

Last season in late January, someone in one of my leagues dropped Ales Hemsky. Yes, Hemsky was doing terrible in Edmonton. But it was no secret that he was being shopped and would almost certainly be traded. I picked him up and he sat on my bench for three weeks. Then he was dealt to Ottawa. I could afford to keep such a player on my bench for a couple of weeks and it paid huge dividends because, as you know, he was very productive playing with Jason Spezza down the stretch. We'll end Hemsky's story there, rather than drag it into the Dallas era…

Some things to look for:

• Contract is expiring. And he'll become an unrestricted free agent, rather than restricted.

• Playing on a weak or bubble team

• He's struggling or just doesn't fit

• He has shown enough upside to be of interest to contending teams in need of a complimentary player. That is to say - when he goes to a new team he stands a good chance of getting a long look on a line with their star.

Studs...

These fellas are wielding a hot stick. Take that into consideration when you go after them in trade talks...

Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames (13-8-5-13, plus-6, 0 PIM, 36 SOG, 2 PPPts) - Right now Johnny Hockey has nine power-play points. That's for the entire season. He's getting all his points at even strength and when the PPPts start to come, watch out.

Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins (6-1-10-11, plus-1, 2 PIM, 11 SOG, 5 PPPts) - Letang's five-assist game on Tuesday was enough to shift the outlook of the standings of many a fantasy league. If Letang can stay healthy, which is a pretty tall order for him, he has a very strong chance of winning the defensemen scoring title.

Frederik Andersen, Anaheim Ducks (4-0-0, 1.22 GAA, 0.953) - Along with Jaroslav Halak, I consider Andersen one of the two more valuable goaltenders in fantasy hockey. Halak doesn't have a John Gibson nipping at his heels in the system, though. But Andersen will continue to hang onto the top job the old fashioned way. With numbers that kick ass.

Duds...

Somebody wake these guys up – their fantasy owners are counting on them...

Alex Edler, Vancouver Canucks (9-1-1-2, plus-2, 8 PIM, 17 SOG, 0 PPPts) - With 58 points in his last 154 games, it's hard not to write Edler off as a 30-point player. And that's exactly what you should do. Seven full seasons in the NHL and he's only managed to top 38 points twice.

Ryan McDonagh, New York Rangers (9-0-1-1, minus-1, 6 PIM, 15 SOG, 0 PPPts) - McDonagh is still a great shutdown defenseman and up until several weeks ago he was still getting pretty good PP time. But lately Dan Boyle has been the sole PP blue-liner as the Rangers go with four forwards. So the prospects of McDonagh suddenly heating up aren't very good.

Kari Lehtonen, Dallas Stars (2-3-2, 0 SO, 3.79 GAA, 0.897 SV%) - Dallas has a 28.6% win percentage when they're outshooting the opposition. Only Edmonton and New Jersey are lower. This is because the shots that do get through to Lehtonen go in far too often.

The Wire...

Mostly short-term grabs here, but as always some potential steals...

Justin Abdelkader, Detroit Red Wings (9-2-7-9, plus-2, 23 Hits, 14 SOG, 5 PPPts) - The 27-year-old has a great shot at 50 points, 150 shots and 175 hits. While each of those would be a career high, it's the offense that has taken a big step forward. Lately he's been lining up with Gustav Nyquist and Henrik Zetterberg.

Benoit Pouliot, Edmonton Oilers (7-6-1-7, plus-3, 6 PIM, 17 SOG, 2 PPPts) - Pouliot is seeing time on the top line with Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, as well as the bump in power-play time that goes with that. He's making big bucks in Edmonton, so they're not going to bury him on a checking line. He had a slow start, followed by an injury, so he's definitely under the radar right now.

Joe Colborne, Calgary Flames (5-3-2-5, plus-4, 4 PIM, 7 SOG, 1 PPPts) - The former Leaf had eight points in nine games before missing time on injured reserve. He struggled when he returned, but is slowly coming back around. The only concern is that he's been stuck playing with Mason Raymond and Josh Jooris.

Adam Lowry, Winnipeg Jets (7-1-5-6, plus-4, 17 Hits, 7 SOG, 1 PPPts) - The 21-year-old freshman is just starting to really get comfortable playing at this level and his emergence has given the Jets an effective third scoring line thanks to his chemistry with Evander Kane.

Mikhail Grabovski, New York Islanders (1-0-1-1, plus-1, 0 PIM, 4 SOG) - He's only been back for one game since he missed five games with a lower-body injury, but that game was on the John Tavares line. Given that Kyle Okposo is out until late March, look for Grabovski to see extended time in this spot.

Rickard Rakell, Anaheim Ducks (6-3-4-7, plus-3, 0 PIM, 12 SOG, 3 PPPts) - Just a shade above 0% owned in Yahoo leagues, Rakell is a rookie with two-way talent and he's primarily been used on a checking line. After his recent four-point game, he has seen a small bump in ice time and PP time. Since Rakell stopped having to share game time with William Karlsson and is no longer getting scratched, he has 12 points (21 games).

Seth Jones, Nashville Predators (5-1-4-5, plus-2, 0 PIM, 11 SOG, 3 PPPts) - Jones has gone seven consecutive games with at least 20 minutes of ice time. Before that - just once in 39 games did he see that kind of action. Coincidentally, Ryan Ellis sustained a lower-body injury seven games ago and has been out ever since. Jones is 23% owned.

Milan Michalek, Ottawa Senators (6-3-3-6, plus-3, 9 PIM, 11 SOG, 3 PPPts) - Michalek has fallen hard since his 60-point season from 2011-12. This just may be the first six-game run of this sort that he's enjoyed since then. He's seeing time on the power play with Bobby Ryan and Mika Zibanejad.

For more fantasy hockey tips, take a gander at DobberHockey. And while you’re at it, follow Dobber’s fantasy hockey musings on Twitter.

His shutout was ruined with 1:16 left in the third period, but Pavelec was fantastic in a 2-1 win over the Dallas Stars. In making 46 saves, he won for the first time since Dec. 16. Evander Kane’s shorthanded tally 7:34 into the final period stood as the game-winning goal.

No. 2 Star: Ondrej Palat, Tampa Bay Lightning

Down 2-1 in the third period, Palat rose to the occasion for the Lightning scoring two goals 10 minutes apart to help Tampa edge the Edmonton Oilers 3-2. Tyler Johnson, who missed the last two games, assisted on both of Palat’s goals.

No. 3 Star: Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins

Rask made 30 stops for his second straight shutout as the Bruins blanked the New York Rangers 3-0. Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci and Loui Eriksson provided the goals to help Boston to their fifth win in a row. The shutout was Rask’s 25th of his career.

Honorable Mention: Craig Anderson made 25 saves and Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Milan Michalek each recorded two points as the Ottawa Senators upended the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 … Here's Bobby Ryan introducing himself to Alex Galchenyuk:

David Desharnais played in his 300th NHL game, while Boyd Gordon suited up for his 600th … In his debut with the Minnesota Wild, Devan Dubnyk had a relatively easy night needing only 18 saves in a 7-0 rout of the Buffalo Sabres. The shutout was Minnesota’s first since Oct. 23 and snapped a six-game losing streak. Jason Pominville recorded a trio of helpers, while Kyle Brodziak, Erik Haula, Mikko Koivu and Zach Parise each chipped in two points … Nick Holden’s go-ahead goal midway through the third period helped the Colorado Avalanche double up the Florida Panthers 4-2. Semyon Varlamov made 28 saves, while Tyson Barrie had a goal and an assist … Behind three third period goals and 27 stops by Joni Ortio, the Calgary Flames beat the Arizona Coyotes 4-1. David Jones, Sean Monahan and Lance Bouma each recorded two points. Ortio kept the game tied in the second period after denying Joe Vitale:

A pair of goals in each of the first and second periods helped power the Canucks to a 4-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Ryan Miller made 30 saves for his 33rd career shutout. Nick Bonino kickstarted the offense with a pretty first period goal. The Sedins combined for four points and Vancouver’s power play cashed in on two of their three opportunities ... Tyler Kennedy and Patrick Marleau scored 11 seconds apart in the opening period to help pace the San Jose Sharks to a 3-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. James Reimer made 39 saves in the loss ... Pavel Datsyuk beat Brian Elliott with 2.2 seconds left in overtime to help give the Detroit Red Wings a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues:

Did You Know? Max Pacioretty is the first Hab to score in six straight games since Denis Savard in 1991. (Habs PR)

Dishonorable Mention: Jhonas Enroth, once a part of trade rumors involving the Wild, surrendered all seven goals … Buffalo has lost nine in a row … The Oilers have lost 14 straight games on the road … Toronto has dropped 11 of their last 14 ... Will the NHL discipline Brad Marchand for this slew-foot on Derick Brassard?

MORE FROM YAHOO HOCKEY:

]]>Thu, 15 Jan 2015 22:17:57 PSTSean LeahynhlPuck Daddyurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,b5164624-fabc-30fa-b12a-14d38a4a0d70-l:1Puck Daddy’s NHL 2014-15 Emoji Preview: Ottawa Senatorshttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/puck-daddy-s-nhl-2014-15-emoji-preview--ottawa-senators-225540665.html
(The 2014-15 NHL season is nearly upon us, and attempting to handicap the winners and losers can sometimes leave us speechless. So we decided to break down all 30 teams with the next best thing to words: Emojis!)

Last Season In Emojis

Last Season, In Summary

Before the season, the most beloved and successful player in franchise history had a falling out with management over money and left for a team he felt gave him a better chance to win the Stanley Cup.

And while Daniel Alfredsson and the Red Wings didn’t win the Cup, they did make the playoffs.

Which is something more than can be said of Ottawa.

Hit with injuries, lackluster play and inconsistencies, the Sens finished at 37-31-14, their 88 points putting them five out of the wild card that Detroit inhabited.

Last Season’s Definitive Highlight

Ales Hemsky shreds the defense. He’s no longer in Ottawa either.

Off-Season Transactions

After one captain left in the previous summer, the Senators traded away his successor in July when Jason Spezza and prospect Ludwig Karlsson were sent to the Dallas Stars for forward Alex Chiasson, prospects Nicholas Paul and Alex Guptill and a second-round draft pick in 2015. Spezza had requested a deal after spending 11 years in Ottawa.

Following him to Dallas was Hemsky, a trade deadline pickup from the Oilers who had 17 points in 20 games for them.

The Sens said goodbye to Joe Corvo (again) as well as Matt Kassian. They added David Legwand, the veteran center from the Predators who was traded to Detroit last season.

As for what’s still in Ottawa, it begins with the expected top line: Clarke MacArthur, Kyle Turris and Bobby Ryan.

Turris continued to trend upward for Ottawa with 58 points in 82 games, his best points per game average (0.71) of his career. He had a Corsi of 52.4 percent, and was a plus 22. MacArthur signed a 5-year extension in the offseason after finishing with 55 points in 79 games. Ryan wasn’t the offensive force many expected him to be in Ottawa, finishing with a disappointing 48 points in 70 games, 23 of them goals. Was it an Olympic team snub? Nah, more like a hernia that needed surgery.

Mika Zibanejad had 33 points in 69 games last season, and one assumes he’s going to have a larger role this season. God willing it won’t be with Milan Michalek, with whom he didn’t click and who dragged down his possession numbers (55.4 Corsi away from him; 51.8 percent with him.) Could he see time with Ryan and MacArthur?

Michalek had 39 points and played 82 games last season, which was good news after injuries scuttled his previous season. He’ll likely start with Zibanejad; on the other side could be Alex Chiasson, acquired in the Jason Spezza deal after a strong rookie season in Dallas.

Can David Legwand be something more than a third or fourth line center at this stage of his career? Of course. He had 11 points in 21 games for the Red Wings after his trade from Nashville, where he had a 0.61 points per game average. He needs to make his case to join the top six.

Erik Karlsson is OK, if you like defensemen that put up 74 points in 82 games and play over 27 minutes a night.

Oh, you do? Wonderful. Then you’ll love Erik Karlsson.

The offensive freak of nature spent the majority of his time with Mark Methot last season, who picked up 23 points in 75 games for just being around Erik Karlsson. He also saw time with hulking Jared Cowen, because when you skate 27 minutes a game you need more than one dance partner.

Cody Ceci is going to be terrific for the Senators, and stated his case for ice time during 50 strong games last season.

Veteran Chris Phillips is still kicking around and could end up with the captaincy. He had a minus-13 in 70 games last season, and has had a negative CorsiRel for five years running (though it should be said that last season was his lowest in that run, a minus-1.6 percent).

Eric Gryba, Patrick Wiercioch and Mark Borowiecki will all vie for time. Alex Grant could be in the mix, will improving prospect Fredrik Claesson will probably have to wait his turn.

The Senators re-signed Craig Anderson through 2018 this summer, despite appearing ready to hand the reins to Robin Lehner. Perhaps they didn’t love what they saw from him last season when Anderson went down.

Both need to be better. Ottawa’s 3.15 GAA was completely acceptable last season, and inconsistent goaltending was part of the story.

Probable Text Conversation Within Organization

Special Teams

Ottawa had the No. 14 power play in the NHL last season at 18.4 percent efficiency. They had 271 power play chances, or No. 15 in the league. Alas, Jason Spezza led the team with nine goals; MacArthur had eight.

The Senators were No. 22 on the kill at 80.9 percent, which isn’t very good when you consider they were shorthanded a whopping 320 times, most in the NHL. Their 61 power-play goals allowed were second-worst in the League.

GM and Coach

Is Paul MacLean on ye olde hot seat this season?

He still has the players’ ear and last season was a little funky given the Alfredsson issue and the youth movement. Plus this is Ottawa we’re talking about, and MacLean has three more years of money headed his way, so…

The Potential Best Thing About This Team

The Potential Worst Thing About This Team

Defense. One assumes the penalty kill, team defense and goaltending will improve from last season. Allegedly. Perhaps. Maybe. In theory.

Single Emoji Prediction

The suitcase from baggage claim.

They’ve seen Alfredsson and Spezza leave. Ryan could be next. All of it impacts the Sens’ playoff chances, which are slim. Luckily Karlsson is signed through 2019. God-willing the team is sold before then.

(Ed. Note: There’s entirely too much sunshine in the summer. So your friends at Puck Daddy are offering a month of thrown shade and perpetual gloom. Behold, our Summer of Disappointment series, in which we ask fans of all 30 teams to recall the biggest bummer moments, teams and players in franchise history! Please wade into their misery like a freezing resort pool, and add your own choices in the comments!)

Patrick Marleau lived up to the nickname no one uses but should, "Mr. Reliable," amassing another 30-goal season, the seventh of his career, and played in every single game for the fifth year in a row.

The defense was solid, with Marc-Edouard Vlasic leading the way and finally getting the recognition he deserves. When you play against the Sharks, you have to figure out a way to knock him out, figuratively.

"I said no pickles!"

Antti Niemi was ok. But he was just "ok" when he won the Cup with Chicago. Everything was in place this year: solid, two-way forward lines with depth, stingy defensive play, and a Cup-winning netminder good enough to not mess it up.

They even went up 3-0 to the Kings in the opening round, playing against a team captained by this moron...

Havlat never really stood a chance in teal. Hell, he was really only brought in because Doug Wilson was tired of paying Dany Heatley $7 million a year to not backcheck and throw baseballs like this.

Martin Havlat, even with his reduced rate of $5 million a season, was injured far too often to make an impact on the team, playing in less than 70% of regular season games with the Sharks. He spent most of that time getting something called a "pelvic floor" repaired.

But it's not his fault, and I don't want to blame him for not being able to live up to our hopes when he was just hoping to make it through breakfast without getting hurt. The most infuriating thing about Havlat, is that he's a hell of a good hockey player.

He was just rarely able to put it together for the Sharks.

Most Disappointing Moment in Sharks History: First-Round Playoff Loss to the Ducks, 2009

Why?

Anytime you lose to this swarmy turd, it hurts.

Wait, where have I seen this kid before?

This is where it all started, the series that imprinted the "choker" label onto all the shoulder pads of Sharks' playoff sweaters for years to come. The Sharks win the President's Trophy, then drop the first two at home against Gordon Bombay Randy Carlyle and the Mighty Ducks. Then on the brink of elimination, this happens.

The Sharks lost that game 4-1.

If that wasn't enough, let's look at the next five seasons. In 2010, they get swept by the Blackhawks. In 2011, they go up 3-0 against the Red Wings, only to let it go to seven (sound familiar?). Then they get blown out by the Canucks. The next year? A first-round exit to the Blues, followed by a second-round exit to the Kings in 2013.

Then of course there was this season.

At least it'll be another two months before the A's disappoint me.

Most Disappointing Sharks Transaction: Owen Nolan to Toronto

It should just go without saying that if you plan on making your team better, you should never trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Then again, we did do back-to-back deals with the Wild.

This trade, on the surface, isn't terrible. The Sharks were having a pretty lousy season, yet they had a gritty, skilled captain and two stellar goaltenders that could command some value in the market. Nolan was just past 30, so it was a safe bet that his production would slide. Why not bring in some young guys and do the organization's favorite strategy, the "refresh"?

In return, the Sharks got Brad Boyes, Alyn McCauley and a first-round pick, which they used to get Milan Michalek. In a sense, it was Nolan for Michalek, which looking back, is a decent upgrade given the circumstances.

What transpired in the years to follow is what makes this trade so frustrating. First, the team was left without a captain, which led to a weird game of musical chairs for the C. If only someone would step up and take the crown...

What could possibly go wrong?

Fast forward, and we see Michalek shipped out for Dany Heatley, who was then sent packing for Martin Havlat (see above). In the end, we ended up losing the best captain in team history for a guy we couldn't wait to buy out.

Most Disappointing Sharks Coach/Executive: Todd McLellan

This was really close. I wanted to say Ron Wilson, but at least Ron Wilson can win more than one game in a Conference Final.

The above-mentioned playoff collapses all happened during McLellan's tenure. That's not to say they are his fault; he's just the recipient of unfortunate matchups and crummy luck. But he's the guy in San Jose; we believe wholeheartedly in him - and that's what makes him so unbelievably disappointing.

Ron Wilson wasn't as disappointing, because no one believed in him as much as we do in T-Mac. It's like having an older sibling who screws up all the time, gets involved with the wrong crowd, maybe even does a stint in the slammer. Even then, the younger sibling not getting into college is the bigger disappointment.

And apparently, Todd McLellan didn't get into college.

Most Disappointing Sharks Fashion Choice: Brent Burns

I wanted to say the new, white jerseys are the worst, but there is so little on the jerseys to even point out how bad they are.

It's like saying a white T-shirt isn't fashionable, even though you're wearing it underneath a custom-tailored suit from Barneys.

But let's get real, the most disappointing fashion choice is the lack of awareness of just how hard Brent Burns rocks his "style." There's even a tumblr dedicated to his suits.

]]>Wed, 13 Aug 2014 15:26:42 PDTYahoo Sports StaffnhlPuck Daddyurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,e6d5f107-2354-3b31-926e-adce244cfedc-l:1Puck Daddy’s 2014 NHL Free Agent Frenzy Live Blog, Hour 1http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/puck-daddy-s-2014-nhl-free-agent-frenzy-live-blog--hour-1-155634360.html
12:55 p.m. ET -- More spending for Florida! They've chosen to back up a truck of money for Dave Bolland, inking him to a five-year, $27.5 million deal. Dale Tallon knows him from his days in Chicago, but that is just some silly money. The Toronto Maple Leafs and their salary cap situation should be happy.

12:50 p.m. ET -- More quick signings: Mason Raymond to the Calgary Flames for three-years, $9.5 million, per Darren Dreger. Raymond gambled on a one-year deal last season with the Maple Leafs and cashed in after a 19-goal, 45 point season.

***

Dan Boyle has received his two-year deal and will be going to the New York Rangers for $9 million through the 2015-16 season. His rights were dealt to the New York Islanders, but the two sides were unable to comes to terms on a contract.

***

The Florida Panthers have promised they would spend and they've started out by inking Jussi Jokinen to a four-year, $16 million deal. Jokinen excelled in Pittsburgh after being scooped off the waiver wire. Of course, playing alongside Evgeni Malkin helps.

12:40 p.m. ET -- Alex Prewitt of the Washington Post reports that the Washington Capitals are bringing Justin Peters on board with a two-year deal. He'll join Philipp Grubauer and Braden Holtby in the Caps' crease.

12:30 p.m. ET -- The New York Islanders have found their backup for Jaro Halak by signing Chad Johnson, according to Newsday's Arthur Staple. It's a two-year deal, worth $2.6 million, per Darren Dreger. Johnson did a solid job in spelling Tuukka Rask in Boston last season posting a .932 even-strength save percentage in 27 appearances.

***

Milan Michalek is off the market after inking a three-year, $12 million extension with the Ottawa Senators, according to Bruce Garrioch. That's a pay cut for him, which seems to be a trend in Ottawa these days...

***

12:20 p.m. ET -- Noon has arrived and the free agents are signing fast. The Edmonton Oilers are jumping in the pool early, locking up defenseman Mark Fayne on a four-year, $14.5 million deal, according to TSN, and forward Benoit Pouliot for five years, $20 million, per Renaud Lavoie. Are the Oilers fancy stats bloggers now running the team? Here's our take on the deals.

***

12:10 p.m. ET -- According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Washington Capitals are among a handful of teams making a "hard run" at Brooks Orpik. Hopefully they don't move too quick toward Orpik, otherwise they'll go right by him.

***

The first signing of the day: Manny Malhotra with the Montreal Canadiens, as per Bob McKenzie. It's a one-year, $850,000 deal. If there's one thing Malhotra does, it's win face-offs and he was 59.4-percent successful in the dot with the Carolina Hurricanes last season. Christian Ehrhoff has also signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Here's our take on the deal.

***

Looking at CapGeek, there are a lot of teams with a lot of salary cap space, while the likes of the Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins have their hands tied. If they're going to make any moves this summer, they'll have to find takers for contracts. Two teams who are interested in potentially taking on your bad contracts are the Buffalo Sabres and Calgary Flames. You will, however, have to include a top draft pick to make anything like that happen.

***

According to his agent, Brian Gionta is now a free agent after not coming to an extension with the Montreal Canadiens.

***

12 p.m. ET -- The Minnesota Wild, with their $19 million-plus in salary cap space are apparently in on every free agent availabile. Matt Niskanen, Thomas Vanek, Jarome Iginla, Willie Mitchell have all caught general manager Chuck Fletcher's eye, according to Mike Russo. Niskanen's agent will look at a long-term deal, potentially seven years, while Vanek wouldn't be opposed to something shorter. Iginla, meanwhile, will hit the market after being unable to work something out with the Boston Bruins. He's reportedly looking for a two-year deal.

***

The Pittsburgh Penguins traded one Evgeni Malkin's linemates over the weekend. How will GM Jim Rutherford replace him? By potentially going after his good buddy, Nikolai Kulemin. Another issue facing Rutherford is rebuilding the team's third and fourth lines. One step in the right direction would be by signing Benoit Pouliot, who the Tribune-Review's Josh Yohe reports is on the Pens' radar.

***

Out on Christian Ehrhoff, the Detroit Red Wings are pursuing Dan Boyle and Matt Niskanen, says MLive.com's Ansar Khan. And for Dave Bolland, Sportsnet reports that the Florida Panthers are hot and heavy on him. Apparently the Toronto Maple Leafs think 5-years, $25 million is a bit excessive. They would be correct.

You know how when a long-time player leaves an organization on not the best of terms and the knives come out? Welcome to life after leaving, Jason Spezza:

Let's make one thing clear: Jason Spezza has asked to be dealt several times in his career in Ottawa. #Sens

Rask made a career-high 49 saves and won for the ninth time in 10 starts as the Bruins edged the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 after a shootout. Reilly Smith's goal in the fifth round of the shootout gave the Bruins the victory. The win was Boston's ninth straight on the road, a franchise record.

No. 2 Star: Cam Talbot, New York Rangers

Talbot recorded his third career shutout and 12th win of the season with a 26-save night as the Rangers blanked the Edmonton Oilers 5-0. Rick Nash had a pair of goals and Mats Zuccarello two of his own alone with an assist as the Rangers

No. 3 Star: Patric Hornqvist, Nashville Predators

Two goals from Hornqvist and a shootout goal from Craig Smith helped the Predators beat the Washington Capitals 4-3. Carter Hutton made 23 saves for his third straight win. Hornqvist's goal was the 100th of his career; a career that began as the final draft pick in 2005.

Honorable mention: David Legwand's second period goal would stand as the game-winner as the Detroit Red Wings got by the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2. The win moves Detroit into seventh in the Eastern Conference. Gustav Nyquist scored his 11th goal in 9 games in beautiful fashion ... Valtteri Filppula scored his 25th goal of the season and extended his points streak to 12 games ... Ottawa native Paul Byron has scored in both games he's played in in his hometown ... Sidney Crosby scored twice and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 25 shots as the Pittsburgh Penguins downed the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1. Crosby's second goal came via an empty net, his first since Nov. 27, 2010. He was also 20-for-29 in the face-off circle ... In a losing effort, Vincent Lecavalier scored twice, including his 400th career NHL goal ... Patrice Bergeron had a beauty in the shootout for Boston:

... as did Claude Giroux:

A pair of first period goals from Milan Michalek and 37 saves from Robin Lehner helped pace the Senators over the Calgary Flames 6-3. Kyle Turris also finished with a pair of goals and added a helper as the Senators won back-to-back home games for the first time since late-December/early-January. Ales Hemsky recorded a pair of assists and has 11 points in 12 games since being dealt to Ottawa.

Did you know? Erik Karlsson is quite good:

With that assist, Erik Karlsson becomes the first defenseman since Brian Leetch in 2000-01 to have 20 goals & 50 assists in same season. — Ian Mendes (@ian_mendes) March 30, 2014

Dishonorable mention: The Blackhawks lost captain Jonathan Toews for the third period to an upper-body injury after a big hit from Brooks Orpik. Head coach Joel Quenneville called him "day-to-day."

What? First star? But he gave up two goals! Yup, on 54 shots. Luongo stood tall behind the Panthers’ “defense” and backstopped Florida to an improbable 3-2 win at the San Jose Sharks. He made 28 saves in the third period. A period in which in Panthers had two shots on goal and took four minor penalties. Here’s your star, sir.

No. 2 Star: Thomas Vanek, Montreal Canadiens

Vanek finally scored a goal and then added two more on the power play as the Montreal Canadiens lit up Patrick Roy’s Colorado Avalanche, 6-3. Nathan MacKinnon scored his 23rd in the loss.

No. 3 Star: Anton Khudobin, Carolina Hurricanes

Khudobin frustrated the Columbus Blue Jackets with a 46-save effort, as Carolina won, 3-1. He needed to be good in the third period, when Carolina didn’t register a shot and Columbus had 19. He had a shutout until Boone Jenner’s goal with 50 seconds left. Andrei Loktionov and Patrick Dwyer had a goal and an assist each.

Honorable mention: Gustav Nyquist had two goals and Daniel Alfredsson had the game winner in the Detroit Red Wings’ gutsy 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. James van Riemsdyk scored his 27th in the loss. … The Boston Bruins won their 10th straight with a 4-2 win at the New Jersey Devils, getting goals from Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, Jarome Iginla and Chris Kelly. … Matt Moulson had two goals and an assist in his return to Long Island, as the Minnesota Wild routed the Islanders 6-0. Ilya Bryzgalov had the shutout. … Sidney Crosby had two goals and an assist in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 5-1 win over the Dallas Stars. Tyler Seguin scored his 31st in the loss, while Chris Kunitz scored his 32nd. … The New York Rangers got two goals from Rick Nash and Derrick Brassard in an 8-4 win over the Ottawa Senators. … The Calgary Flames topped the Buffalo Sabres, 3-1, thanks to third-period goals by Mike Cammallleri and Paul Bryon, shorthanded. … Jaroslav Halak made 43 saves and Alex Ovechkin sniped his 46th goal as the Washington Capitals upset the Anaheim Ducks and former coach Bruce Boudreau, 3-2. … Jordan Eberle had two goals and an assist in the Edmonton Oilers’ 5-1 win over the Nashville Predators. … Finally, Claude Giroux scored with five seconds left in OT to give the Philadelphia Flyers a 3-2 win in Chicago. Scott Hartnell had two goals. …

Did You Know? Henrik Lundqvist made 35 saves for his 302nd win to move past Mike Richter for the most victories by a goaltender in franchise history for the Rangers.

Dishonorable mention: Sergei Bobrovsky was pulled after giving up three goals in two periods. … Calvin de Haan was a minus-3. … Ray Whitney was a minus-3. … Robin Lehner was pulled by Ottawa for Nathan Lawson, but had to return to the game when Lawson was injured. … Chris Phillips, Chris Neil, Ales Hemsky, Erik Karlsson and Milan Michalek were all a minus-3. … Ryan Ellis and Michael Del Zotto were a minus-3. … Pekka Rinne was pulled in the third period after giving up his fifth goal.

Nothing could stop the 2012-13 Ottawa Senators. They lost Erik Karlsson for most of the year. They lost Jason Spezza. They lost Milan Michalek. They lost Craig Anderson. And yet, the club continued to win, sneak inexplicably into the playoffs, and once again validating the theory that head-scratching success is the key to a Jack Adams Award.

But a year later, it would appear that we've discovered the one thing that could derail last year's Ottawa Senators: time. Specifically, a summer's worth.

Somewhere between the end of last season and the beginning of this one, the Senators changed. This year's team is a shadow of that team, all questions marks and holes. On Saturday, the club, desperate for points, gave one away to the Montreal Canadiens, squandering a three-goal lead with four minutes to go before losing 5-4 a minute into overtime.

Last year's Senators were the stingiest team in the Eastern Conference. It wasn't uncommon for them to go several games before surrendering five goals against in total. They surrendered 5 goals in a game just twice. This year, it's happened twice versus Montreal alone.

It happened twice in October, in back-to-back games. They did it 3 more times in November, thrice in December, twice in January, and 3 times in the 6 games they played in February. Not counting shootout losses, Saturday night in Montreal was the fifteenth time this season the Senators have surrendered five goals.

You can point to the loss of Daniel Alfredsson and the composure he brought to the lineup all you like, but no one man can have that kind of impact on a goals against average unless he plays in net. The Senators' problem, put simply, is that they're no longer a defensively-stifling team.

If there is one recurring trend with the Senators under Paul MacLean’s tenure as coach, it is that they play high event hockey; that is, the Senators produce and allow a disproportionate number of shots relative to their NHL peers.

[...] In each of MacLean’s full seasons as coach, Ottawa has finished among the top 10 teams in the average number of shots per game and the bottom 10 teams in the average number of shots allowed per game.

It’s not like the 2012-13 Senators were a defensive juggernaut that lapsed into mediocrity this season. If that were the case, the team would not be allowing shots at a pace not seen since the formative days of this franchise’s modern existence.

The Senators simply were not a great defensive team to begin with.

So how do we explain last year's numbers? Simply, exceptional goaltending.

Craig Anderson provided it, and when he went down with an injury, Robin Lehner and Ben Bishop played just well enough in his absence for the Senators to continue getting by. Ottawa finished the year with an even strength save percentage of .936, and the best shorthanded save percentage in the league at .922.

These aren't sustainable numbers, especially for a team that plays run-and-gun hockey. Over a full season, they're bound to normalize, as they have this year. But the Senators didn't have to play a full season in 2012-13, because the lockout wiped out everything before the hyphen. In so doing, it also happened to chop off the section of the season where things might have come back to earth.

Or, at the very least, push it to the year.

(This graph, via Travis Yost, demonstrates the way the percentages have turned on Ottawa this year after being so favourable for much of Paul MacLean's tenure. You can also see where things started to go south towards the end of last season, but fortunately, the schedule ended before people really noticed.)

And so, instead, the Senators, their fans, and plenty of pundits went into this year thinking this team was close.

The Maple Leafs star had a goal and two assists in their 3-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks in Randy Carlyle’s return to Anaheim. He had a secondary helper on Tyler Bozak’s goal and scored his 34th in the first; he then assisted on Paul Ranger’s second-period goal. Jonathan Bernier had 43 saves in the win.

No. 2 Star: Matt Duchene, Colorado Avalanche

Duchene scored at 2:33 of overtime to give the Avs a 3-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets. He schooled Dustin Byfuglien with a spin move in the corner, fired the puck off Tobias Enstrom and then collected the rebound for his 21st of the season.

No. 3 Star: Chris Kunitz, Pittsburgh Penguins

Kunitz opened and closed the scoring for the Penguins in their 3-2 win at the Washington Capitals. He caught Mike Green flat-footed just 46 seconds into the game, and then tallied his 31st goal of the year at 12:40 of the second. Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists in the win.

Honorable mention: The New York Islanders scored seven third-period goals, including four in 5:08, to rally and beat the Vancouver Canucks, 7-4. Kyle Okposo had three assists. … The Los Angeles Kings scored the first three goals of the game and then held off a Calgary Flames’ rally for a 3-2 victory. Anze Kopitar had the game-winner. … Seth Jones collected a rebound of a Ryan Ellis breakaway shot at 3:49 of overtime in the Nashville Predators’ 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators. Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky had three point games in the loss. … Radim Vrbata scored the lone goal of the shootout as the Phoenix Coyotes topped the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-3. Ondrej Palat had two goals and an assist. …

Did You Know? The Islanders tied an NHL record for road goals in a period with 7.

Dishonorable mention: Shea Weber and Roman Josi were a minus-3. … Craig Anderson was pulled after stopping 26 of 29 shots, following a collision with Milan Michalek. … The Canucks took three minor penalties in the third and gave up three power-play goals on seven times shorthanded.

Obama has still yet to visit a Washington Capitals game, but he sent the next best thing: John Kerry! And the crowd! Went! Wild!

No. 1 Star: Max Pacioretty, Montreal Canadiens

He could have had five if he'd netted those second-period penalty shots, or even four, joining the rooster club if he'd scored on just one of them, but Pacioretty will have to settle for a very strange hat trick. Who scored three goals in a game where he sets a record for missed penalty shots? The Canadiens' winger scored once in the first and then twice in the third as Montreal knocked off the Vancouver Canucks, 5-2.

No. 2 Star: Milan Michalek, Ottawa Senators

Michalek's 9th and 10th were the difference in a 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres, and they couldn't have come at better times. The Ottawa winger scored 10 seconds into the third, then after Buffalo stormed back to knot things up, he broke the 2-2 tie with 20 seconds to go in the game.

No. 3 Star: Troy Brouwer, Washington Capitals

No doubt inspired by the appearance of whats-his-name up top, Brouwer scored twice in the Capitals' 4-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets.

Honorable mention: Alex Ovechkin's 40th of the season was the game-winner in Washington:

I guess if you have to have a one-dimensional player, I'll take the kind whose dimension chips in 40 goals... David Jones scored the game-winner as the Calgary Flames beat the New York Islanders 4-2... Ben Scrivens made 35 saves to help the Edmonton Oilers hold off the New York Rangers, 2-1... Not to be outdone, Steve Mason stopped 38 to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche... Jonathan Bernier stopped 33 in a 4-1 triumph over the Tampa Bay Lightning... T.J Oshie scored the OT winner as the St. Louis Blues beat the Boston Bruins 3-2... The Minnesota Wild pushed their home win streak to five with a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators, thanks to Nino Neiderreiter's nasty OT winner:

... Gustav Nyquist scored the winner for the Detroit Red Wings, 3-1, over the Florida Panthers... Robyn Regehr was the unlikely overtime hero in the Los Angeles Kings' 2-1 defeat of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Did You Know? This is sad:

Quite incredibly no #Canucks forward has scored a 3rd period goal since Santorelli vs STL on January 10th

Dishonorable mention: The Canucks, for the stat above, as well as their sixth straight loss, and for surrendering two penalty shots in two minutes... Patrick Bordeleau was tossed from Colorado's game after a hit on Brayden Schenn that was deemed charging.

]]>Thu, 06 Feb 2014 23:01:16 PSTHarrison MooneynhlPuck Daddyurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,bd2ec7b2-dbc2-3332-8e6f-3d2542a3036f-l:1Bryan Murray gets a promotion to president, extension from Ottawa Senatorshttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/bryan-murray-gets-promotion-president-extension-ottawa-senators-185407674--nhl.html
The end game for Bryan Murray as Ottawa Senators general manager has always been a bump upstairs rather than a shove out the exit door, and they made that clear on Monday: Murray was given a contract extension that’ll keep him as the GM through 2016 while adding “president of hockey operations” to his title, a role he’ll play at least through 2018.

Nice job security for a 71-year-old dude. And also ensuring that Melnyk won't turn around and hire someone above him in the pecking order. (a.k.a. getting Sherman'd).

"It's exciting that Eugene [Melnyk] has made this commitment to me and also for me to make this commitment to be part of the organization for four more years," Murray said in a release. "This team has come a long way and we have seen real growth over these past three seasons. I know that with the pool of talent we have assembled both on and off the ice and our desire to improve at every level that we are on the right path to develop this team into a group talented enough to compete for championships.

"Mr. Melnyk has made it very clear that he wants to be a champion and that's what we both want for the city of Ottawa. It is an exciting time for us as we see this team grow, and being part of that growth is a big reason for both of us to make this commitment."

Randy Lee and Pierre Dorion were also handed promotions to assistant general manager as Lee takes over for the departed Tim Murray as GM of the Binghamton Senators.

Ah, yes, Tim Murray. The one that got away, leaving for the Buffalo Sabres when everyone assumed he was in line to take over for his uncle one day as Senators general manager. That was big news last week, leaving some to point out the obvious migration from a money-troubled team to the billions in Pegula-bucks the Sabres have.

Inking Bryan Murray to a long-term deal certainly tempers conversation about the team’s near future.

It was also important to have Murray there, for continuity’s sake. He’ll still be the GM when Milan Michalek an Chris Phillips are up for new deals this summer, and then when Jason Spezza and Bobby Ryan are up next summer.

It’s also not overstating the obvious that Murray has done a good job in building this team. As The 6th Sens noted last month, Murray “has also made his best moves during this rebuild by buying low on undervalued players like Craig Anderson (shitty team), Marc Methot (injury), Kyle Turris (reputation) and Ben Bishop (risk of St. Louis losing him to UFA because he would not get in enough NHL games).”

• The Senators will "do something" to honor Daniel Alfredsson on December 1. My guess: they invite him to prom, name him homecoming queen, and then, right when he's finally feeling confident about himself -- bam. They hit him with the bucket of animal blood perched in the rafters of the Canadian Tire Centre. [Ottawa Sun]

• Speaking of the Senators, does Milan Michalek has a future with them? [TSN]

• Pat LaFontaine has taken a pretty difficult job, especially considering he had to tell Terry Pegula he wasn't ready to be a GM when the Sabres' owner offered him that job last week. [Sportsnet]

• Ted Nolan's goal for game one: learn his players' names. “I’ve been so focused on what I have to do. I even got the pictures of guys to put them in line combinations so I know who they are. I was more nervous on that, getting to know the guy’s name, more so than the than the game itself." Remember, Ted: It's Zemgus. Zemgus. [Buffalo Hockey Beat]

• Under-discussed story: with Craig Berube and Ted Nolan behind NHL benches, this is the first time the league has had two First Nation coaches. [Color of Hockey]

• The Blackhawks have recovered Kris Versteeg, who was found wandering the streets of Florida, looking for meaning. What's the fantasy impact? [Dobber Hockey]

• Team USA looks to be a formidable group at the Sochi Olympics, but where's the top-end talent? [Greatest Hockey Legends]

• Michael Cammalleri is on fire. He's got 8 goals in his last 11 games. Pro-tip for Jay Feaster: sell high this time. I know, it's a crazy thought. But imagine, for a second, a world where you trade a top-flight player and get, like, another good player back. [Flames Nation]

• The Vancouver Canucks have signed Eddie Lack to a two-year, $2.3 million contract extension. [Canucks]

• In praise of the Capitals' other top line: Mikhail Grabovski, Jason Chimera, and Joel Ward. [Japers Rink]

• Panini America, the trading card company that sounds like a sandwich company, takes you inside the making of an NHL rookie card.

]]>Fri, 15 Nov 2013 11:31:31 PSTHarrison MooneynhlPuck Daddyurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,c84707b0-b1c0-3f29-bafc-31449917e148-l:1What We Learned: Seth Jones for Sochi Olympicshttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/learned-seth-jones-sochi-olympics-130003920--nhl.html
Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend’s events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it.

Earlier this week, David Poile, GM of both the U.S. Olympic team and Nashville Predators, was on the radio in Montreal. He noted that while he has been impressed with the play of young American players like Jacob Trouba, Alex Galchenyuk and Seth Jones, “2014 may not be their time” to make the U.S. team.

However, any reasonable observer would have to assume that at least part of that quote is just a general manager playing down the fact that his own highly-valued rookie should be considered a mortal lock to make the cut. The fact of the matter is that you'd be hard-pressed to find many American defensemen better than Jones, let alone any who also happen to be 19 years old.

Saturday night was one of his more mediocre games this season, and the Preds got blown out by the Blues 6-1. Despite this fact, he was on the ice for just one even-strength goal against despite playing across from the Blues' top line, ate up more than 24 minutes of ice time, and helped drive the play in Nashville's favor at even strength.

What's more, this is the kind of thing he's been doing all season, and the numbers speak for themselves. He's 20th in the league among defensemen in time on ice at 24:42 a night, and the only Americans ahead of him are Ryan Suter, Dustin Byfuglien, and Paul Martin. His corsi relative is 24th, also fourth among U.S.-born defensemen. He's not drawing soft competition (second among Nashville D behind only Shea Weber, a mortal lock to make the Canadian team if ever there was one), he's playing more than 46 percent of the Preds' shorthanded time (also second behind Weber), he's drawn more penalties than he's been whistled for (plus-2), he starts fewer shifts in the offensive zone than any Nashville defenseman, and he's even been a little unlucky in terms of his on-ice shooting percentage (just 7 percent).

And if you don't like all those “fancy” stats, some of the conventional wisdom works in more of less the same way. Only once this season, as a 19-year-old rookie defenseman, has he played fewer than 21 minutes exactly once in his first 12 games, and has by any standard “looked” extremely impressive in all three zones and, indeed, done anything and everything that's been asked of him. He's fast, he's smart, he's precocious. The “rookie mistakes” thing that you'd hang on or even expect from just about anyone else have been limited, and not especially costly.

Nashville assistant Phil Housley, who coached Jones to World Junior gold last winter, told our own Nick Cotsonika that his only issue is that he might not be strong enough to be an elite NHL defenseman every night, at least, not right now. That's not likely to matter quite so much in Sochi.

More than perhaps any other defenseman in the American talent pool, Jones would appear built to thrive on international ice. He picked apart just about everyone he came into contact with in Ufa last winter specifically because of the extra space afforded him, and the ability that he had to, if you like, “making things happen” in that space.

Just about any rookie is going to run into his share of struggles at some point in the season and it's impossible to think that Jones won't succumb in some way to that eventuality, but playing alongside Shea Weber — as he has for more than 80 percent of his even-strength time on ice this season — should act as some amount of insulation from him getting too lit up at any point. This, though, obviously raises the question of whether his success is predicated in some way on Weber's presence alongside him. This is more or less the argument that cost Jonas Brodin the Calder last season; he played alongside a guy who probably should have won the Norris, and thus it's hard to say exactly how good or bad he would have been on his own.

You can make the same argument for Jones: Weber has been outstanding this season, rounding back into form after an off year in the lockout-shortened season, once he was finally away from Ryan Suter and playing instead alongside Roman Josi. This isn't to say Josi is by any measure a bad defenseman, but he's also not what Suter is and Jones will likely become within the next two-ish seasons. Jones (playing on the left side rather than his customary right, mind you) seems to do things for Weber that Josi perhaps could not, and if he's in the Suter mold — smooth-skating and excellent — then that's great news for Weber and the Predators alike. Let's put it this way: If Jones couldn't play alongside Weber for all those minutes, he simply wouldn't. Barry Trotz is not putting him on that pairing for fun; he's trying to win games.

There's more than a little ways to go before these teams are picked but if the first dozen games of his NHL career are any indication, Seth Jones is already one of the best American-born defensemen alive, and deserves to represent his country in Sochi just as much as any of the other candidates. To put it in league terms, the rookie has to this point made it very hard for his general manager to leave him home, and soon he might have no choice at all.

If the question is, “What seven guys do you bring ahead of him?” I'm not sure there's a good answer.

What We Learned

Anaheim Ducks: Tough break — literally, I guess — for the Ducks: Jakob Silfverberg is out at least a month with a broken hand thanks to a slash from Jared Cowen on Friday night. He's fourth on the team in scoring behind Mathieu Perreault, who himself is day-to-day with a sprained wrist. Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, keep your hands inside the bus at all times.

Calgary Flames: The Flames absolutely crushed the Capitals on Saturday night. Demolished them. Alex Ovechkin, who came in with 8-7-15 in seven career games against the Flames and 10-5-15 in 10 games this year, was 0-fer in 22:50 against a team backstopped by Karri Ramo.

Carolina Hurricanes: The Hurricanes are apparently keeping Elias Lindholm on the roster this season, despite the fact that they're playing him just nine minutes a night on the fourth line. At least he seems to be enjoying himself.

Dallas Stars: Ryan Garbutt got a five-game suspension and then went, “Huh, if I keep trying to kill people I'm gonna get suspended a lot? I better stop trying to kill people then.” So, y'know, it's not impossible.

Detroit Red Wings: The offense has been so bad for Detroit lately that Mike Babcock broke up Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk for the first time in a long while, despite saying he wouldn't. Did it work? The Wings got goals from Drew Miller and Daniel Alfredsson, and lost 3-2 to the Rangers. So, no. Back to the drawing board.

Nashville Predators, America's Favorite Hockey Team: Viktor Stalberg signed a four-year deal with Nashville this summer and now finds himself scratched in two straight games. Off to a no-fun, “embarrassing” start.

New Jersey Devils: The reason Jaromir Jagr only has two goals this season? He doesn't like his new sticks. The company that used to make his sticks went bankrupt, apparently. Like Jagr didn't have the money to keep 'em afloat. C'mon Jaromir.

New York Islanders: So Garth Snow looked at his .500 team, 29th in the league in 5-on-5 goals against, and decided to trade first- and second-round picks for a guy who improves their offense (seventh in 5-on-5 goals for), when the same team has a No. 1 goalie available. This all makes perfect sense.

New York Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist is “ready” to start the Rangers' home opener tonight after a brief mystery injury, but he probably said that before all those other games where he was bad this year.

Ottawa Senators: Milan Michalek has been bad for the Sens so far this season. Only two goals and six points, despite spending a lot of time alongside Jason Spezza, who's better than a point a game so far this year.

Philadelphia Flyers: Vinny Lecavalier now has one more hat trick than anyone thought he'd get this year.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Marty St. Louis says the reason the Bolts came back to beat the Sabres is that “good teams always find a way to win.” While it's indisputable that the Lightning have been excellent this season, one must also note that good teams sometimes also play the Sabres.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Addendum to the above note on the Fleury-est goal: Letting Dave Bolland score on a shorthanded breakaway slap shot might be up there too.

Ryan Lambert is a Puck Daddy columnist. His email is hereand his Twitter is here.

]]>Mon, 28 Oct 2013 06:00:03 PDTRyan LambertnhlPuck Daddyurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,c8ad1c58-2547-38d0-9010-90da861db84f-l:1Ottawa Senators, 2013-14 (Puck Daddy Gold Medal Preview)http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/ottawa-senators-2013-14-puck-daddy-gold-medal-220411107--nhl.html
(Ed. Note: It’s an Olympic year in the NHL. So, naturally, we decided to use the trappings of the Winter Games to preview all 30 teams for the 2013-14 NHL season. Who takes the gold? Who falls on their triple-axel? Read on and find out!)

Fans in Ottawa spent the entire year waiting for the sky to fall. It never really did, despite a bunch of reasons it should have.

After an early run of play that had him looking like a Vezina candidate, Craig Anderson succumbed to injury. Erik Karlsson did too, stepped on either accidentally or as part of a brilliant, brilliant scheme by Matt Cooke. Milan Michalek missed time. So did Jared Cowen. And five games into the year, Jason Spezza had to go in for surgery on his back. He didn't return to the Senators lineup until the second round of the playoffs.

That's correct: The second round of the playoffs.

Somehow, despite all this bad luck, Ottawa remained in playoff contention and even won a round. It was absurd. We've said before that the Jack Adams goes to the team that exceeded expectation the most, and with the expectation being that Ottawa was going to lose every game for the foreseeable future, two rounds of playoffs was more than enough for Paul MacLean to get his.

So the sky never fell. That is, until the season officially ended, free agency opened, and career Senator Daniel Alfredsson signed in Detroit. Somehow, even with the club landing elite scorer (except according to ESPN) Bobby Ryan, Alfie's departure overshadowed all.

Alfredsson says he made the move because he believes Detroit had a better chance to win. But we're not so sure that's true. The Senators, especially now that they're healthy, look pretty good.

The Senators' original plan was to get Bobby Ryan to play withDaniel Alfredsson. Instead, after negotiations with Alfredsson went nowhere, he shocked the hockey world, leaving the Senators for the Red Wings and the five and a half million dollars they were offering. That was a gut punch for Ottawa fans.

On the bright side, they do have a fresh new four-time 30-goal scorer in the fold in Ryan, and he might be able to help them get over Alfie. In exchange for his services, the Senators sent impressive young forward Jakob Silfverberg, who stepped up in a big way for the club during all the injuries, to the Ducks.

The Senators also added Clarke MacArthur in unrestricted free agency, and if they're lucky, he'll be able to replace Alfredsson's contributions, meaning Ryan can just be a massive upgrade on their top line. If Ryan can click with Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek, the Senators could have the second coming of The Pizza Line.

Andre Benoit and Mike Lundin have left the blueline. Incoming is Joe Corvo, who loves going back to places he's already played, so this is great for him!

Forward:It's Jason Spezza's team now, as the centre has been handed Alfredsson's vacated captaincy. After playing just 5 games in the 2012-13 season, can he put the injury troubles behind him and be the elite guy the club is going to need to combat the other elite centres in the Atlantic? In 2011-12, his last full season, Spezza had 84 points in 80 games. Can he top that?

It's definitely possible, especially with Milan Michalek and Bobby Ryan skating alongside him. Both are coming off disappointing seasons, the former due to injury troubles, the latter just because, but if this line clicks, they could be one of the league's best.

Kyle Turris came into his own last season, carrying the load for the Senators in Spezza's absence. Now he's back to being the second guy, and in what will be his first full season as a Senator (thanks for nothing, lockout), he might be able to hit 20 goals. He's shown some early-season chemistry with Clarke MacArthur, which might be a tandem we see throughout the season. Who will be the third forward? Cory Conacher seems a safe bet, but Mark Stone or Mika Zibanejad could grab the spot as well.

Colin Greening could get a shot as well, but during the playoffs, he looked strong on a line with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Erik Condra. That could conceivably be the Senators' third line again this year.

And, of course, Chris Neil will continue to provide toughness and leadership and grit and whatnot on line four.

Defense: This is Erik Karlsson's crew. Sadly, a skate cut robbed us of seeing what he'd do as a follow-up to his Norris trophy-winning season, but he's healthy now, and when he's on the ice, he changes everything. He's a shot machine, and a nearly point per game player from the backend. Unheard of in today's NHL.

If you're looking for a sleeper fantasy pick, grab Patrick Wiercioch, who will be Karlsson's partner, according to Paul MacLean.

"We feel that Patrick Wiercioch is ready to take on that role," coach Paul MacLean said in the hours leading up to Thursday's pre-season tilt with the Toronto Maple Leafs. "Right now, Patrick and Erik are going to anchor the first unit, and we're going to give them really every opportunity to show that they can do it.

"We anticipate that they're going to be very good."

That leaves Marc Methot to play with Jared Cowen and his fancy new contract on pairing two, with Chris Phillips anchoring a veteran third pairing alongside Joe Corvo, Eric Gryba or Mark Borowiecki, unless Cody Ceci really impresses in camp.

Goalies: Craig Anderson played 24 games for the Senators last year, and he was downright incredible in most of them, posting a 1.69 goals against average and a .949 save percentage. It seems unlikely he'll be able to replicate those statistics, but if the Senators get anything even close, he could be in contention for the Vezina his own mortality stole from him in 2013. Robin Lehner will back him up.

Paul MacLean comes armed with a three-year contract extension, a Jack Adams trophy as the league's top coach, and the world's dopest moustache. The walrus has done an incredible job with this club. They're in good hands.

General Manager Bryan Murray had a busy and stressful summer, handling the Bobby Ryan trade and the Alfredsson exodus, but the man still whistles while he works.

Give it up for the Joynt. Every team should have a Joynt.

Erik Karlsson. The Senators -- and hockey fans everywhere -- survived life without Karlsson for, one of the league's most dynamic players, for most of last season. Hopefully that never happens again. He's awesome.

The first line. Spezza, Michalek and Ryan could be lethal in their first year together, especially considering all three are looking for bounceback years. That's a recipe for success.

Paul MacLean. He is the walrus. He's also one of the league's best and most beloved coaches. Plus he has that lookalike. That guy rules.

Expectations. After last season, it's reasonable to assume that the now-healthy Senators are bound for glory. But MacLean has warned off the high expectations. This is still a team developing a lot of young players. Despite last season's promise, a step backward isn't out of the questions, especially since this is the first time in MacLean's tenure they've come into the season with actual expectations. Hopefully their weight is something the Sens can shoulder.

I think they can. The Bruins will likely be the class of the Atlantic Division, with the Red Wings not far behind, but Ottawa has the star power and the depth to keep pace with them at best and, at worst, snatch one of the last two postseason tickets. This is a playoff team.

• According to Bob McKenzie, the negotiations between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Nazem Kadri are getting closer. It appears that the Kadri camp is looking for two years, $7 million, while the Leafs are in the two years, $5.7 million range. [TSN]

• The Philadelphia Flyers officially invited Dan Cleary to training camp on a PTO, which they have to do at the moment until they clean up their cap situation, then his reported three-year deal will kick in. [Flyers]

• Larry Brooks on why the New York Rangers have to get Derek Stepan signed, like right now. [NY Post]

• Nick Cotsonika on new Islanders captain John Tavares and the team taking the next step this season. [Yahoo]

• Training camp isn't just opening up this week for NHL players, on-ice officials are having one of their own as well. [CTV]

• Milan Michalek says he's feeling 100-percent after undergoing a procedure in Germany on his injured knee. "The procedure involves extracting blood from the patient, then spinning it in a centrifuge to separate the white blood cells. The cells are then heated and injected with a serum that has healing properties, which is then re-injected into the site of the injury." [Sportsnet]

• Radim Vrbata is the entering the final year of his deal and contract extension talks have begun. GM Don Maloney even says his current deal has been a bargain for the team. [FS Arizona]

• Colin Greening signed a three-year, $7.95 million extension with the Ottawa Senators. [Sens]

• Nassau County politicians are still trying to keep the Islanders on Long Island. [Islanders Point Blank]

•After spending last season as a special assignment coach with the New Jersey Devils, Sergei Brylin is joining their AHL team's coaching staff as an assistant. [Fire & Ice]

• Looking at the risks of more outdoor hockey featuring Hockey East teams. [USCHO]

• Why the Florida Panthers are primed for a bounce back season. [Dobber Hockey]

• Finally, here's an excited Evgeni Malkin delivering season tickets to fans and chumming up to babies:

]]>Tue, 10 Sep 2013 11:49:23 PDTSean LeahynhlPuck Daddyurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,06010db2-5665-337c-ad94-ef53b2cfce1c-l:1San Jose Sharks, National Hockey League of Nationshttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/san-jose-sharks-national-hockey-league-nations-161145504.html
(Ed. Note: Welcome to the Puck Daddy 2013 summer project, the National Hockey League of Nations. We’ve recruited 30 writers/blogs to identify the best player in their favorite team’s history for each major nationality that creates the fabric of our beloved NHL: Canada, USA, Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Sweden, Finland and The Rest of The World. It’s their criteria, as long as they can justify it. Read, debate and enjoy! If you want to do so on Twitter, it's #NHLoN.)

He scored more points than everyone but Alex Ovechkin between Gary Bettman's second and third lockouts. He became the first Shark to ever stake claim to the league's MVP award, picking up the Hart and Art Ross trophies the season in which he was traded to San Jose. He's still one of just three players in NHL history (alongside two other Canadians named Wayne and Mario) to record consecutive 90-assist seasons. Beyond the accomplishments and statistics, Thornton's arrival in the Bay Area left an indelible mark on this franchise.

Rather than skating on as under-the-radar overachievers, targets were sewn onto the backs of the club's sweaters as they became the team to beat--at least in the regular season--and the Stanley Cup darling of much of the mainstream media. With his offensive numbers in decline over the past few seasons, Thornton has really rounded out his two-way game and while it's more than fair to argue for Patrick Marleau's candidacy here, the totality of what Thornton accomplished from the day of his trade to the end of the decade eclipses anything the franchise's star-studded cast of heroes from the north, including former captain Owen Nolan, managed during their respective careers in teal.

Finland: Antti Niemi

If we're looking for the best Finn to ever put on a Sharks sweater, the answer is clearly the Finnish Flash himself. But Teemu Selanne's stint in teal deserves a footnote in his memoir larger than only that describing his disastrous campaign in Colorado. He's a surefire Hall of Famer and adored by the hockey world at large but the fact that Selanne's most memorable moment as a Shark involves him missing a wide-open net on a wraparound in Game 7 of the 2002 Western Semifinals says it all. Since the criteria on which I'm attempting to base these picks solely considers performance with the Sharks, I'm going with Antti Niemi.

Fresh off a Vezina-caliber season, what really needs to be established about Niemi is that he was a great goalie for San Jose even prior to his terrific 2013 campaign. Whether due to his aesthetically unpleasing style in net or the notion that he was the weakest link on Chicago's 2010 championship team (a notion that, by the way, is largely true), the success he enjoyed in his first two seasons as a Shark went somewhat overlooked despite the fact that he was eighth in the NHL in even-strength save percentage over that span. Throwing this past season into the sample leaves only three goalies (Tim Thomas, Henrik Lundqvist and Roberto Luongo) who have posted higher even-strength save percentages than Niemi since his arrival in San Jose.

His lateral mobility may sometimes be exploited and his glove hand might need a little work but, at the end of the day, the name of the game for a netminder is stopping pucks and Niemi does that at a higher rate than just about anyone else in the league today. His San Jose career may only be three seasons old but it already trumps that of any other Finland-born player in franchise history and Niemi stands a good chance of usurping Nabokov for the title of best Sharks goalie ever.

USA: Joe Pavelski

Joe Pavelski is one of the best all-around players in Sharks history and certainly outpaces the likes of Gary Suter and Tony Granato as the franchise's best-ever American. Pavelski is one of those rare talents whose value reverberates throughout a lineup. Between 2007 and 2010, Pavelski gave the Sharks a rock at second-line center that allowed Marleau to move into a permanent role on Thornton's left wing. When he was slotted into the third line in 2010-11 and again this past season, he transformed those units into possession monsters; allowing the top two lines to start in the opponent's end far more often.

In 2011-12, flanking Thornton on his right wing, Pavelski's consistent outplaying of the elite forwards he was matched up against opened up easier minutes for the rest of the team and was often one of the primary reasons the Sharks were in games at even-strength, not to mention the thirty goals Pavelski potted that year as Jumbo's wingman.

Pavelski's offensive game as a whole is often vastly underrated. Captain America ranks 46th in league scoring since 2009 (fifth among U.S.-born players), ahead of stars like Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Zach Parise. Combine that with his elite two-way game, his excellence in the faceoff circle and his ability to play any forward position as well as man the point on one of the league's best power plays and you have a hell of a weapon.

As Brian Burke described him at the 2010 Olympics, Pavelski is a Swiss-army knife of a hockey player and is easily the greatest value draft pick in franchise history.

Sweden: Marcus Ragnarsson

The sentimental pick here for me would probably be Niklas Sundstrom, a key part of a third line with Scott Thornton and Mike Ricci that I have fond memories of watching wear opposing teams down with their cycle game in the offensive zone during the early 2000s. But Sundstrom turned out to be a largely interchangeable part, with Jonathan Cheechoo proving as effective in that role if not moreso following Sundstrom's trade to Montreal in 2003.

Johan Garpenlov is a contender too, a player who didn't spend a ton of time in San Jose but was with the franchise for its darkest days and brightest moments of the early 90's, posting a 66-point season alongside Larionov and Makorov in 1994.

But the player I'm going with is the understated but reliable Marcus Ragnarsson, a solid, minute-eating defensive defenseman who plied his trade in an era before that type of player became obsolete (something I can't really say about his countryman Douglas Murray).

Ragnarsson was never flashy but he played a sound positional game, using his size to clog up shooting lanes and keep things under wraps in his own end of the rink. His finest moment likely came in the Sharks' upset of the President's Trophy-winning Blues in the first round of the 2000 playoffs when Ragnarsson played a big role in keeping Pierre Turgeon off the scoreboard. Ragnarsson's ability to log heavy minutes ensured him a lengthy career with the Sharks; only Mike Rathje has played more games in San Jose as a defenseman.

Russia: Evgeni Nabokov

For a team that hasn't had an impact Russian skater on their roster for what seems like an eternity, there's an abundance of deserving candidates here. Igor Larionov was the franchise's first true star; a key cog in the legendary 1994 team that upset Detroit in the first round and the first ex-Shark to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008.

His winger and countryman Sergei Makarov also featured prominently in that first round upset as well as the Sharks' dousing of the Flames the following postseason, ironically the team for which Makarov had been a prolific scorer in the early 90's. And Alexander Korolyuk, while decidedly a lesser-known name, was a fan favorite and underrated secondary scoring threat who never let his diminutive stature prevent him from making an impact.

But ultimately, the obvious choice here is the best goalie in franchise history, Evgeni Nabokov. San Jose's all-time leader in games played and wins, Nabokov was the team's go-to option in net from the moment he stormed onto the scene by replacing Steve Shields in a game on New Year's Day 2000, a year before his Calder Trophy season, to his departure from the club via free agency in the summer of 2010.

Nabokov gave the Sharks several elite years prior to the 2005 lockout, none more so than his 2003-04 campaign when he was perhaps the biggest factor in leading a relatively nondescript team to a division championship and final four appearance. Things weren't quite as rosy for Nabokov following the lost season but he did earn a Vezina Trophy nod in 2008 and arguably saved his best for last with a fantastic final season in the Bay Area.

Slovakia: Michal Handzus

I won't mince words here: Michal Handzus' Sharks career was a disaster.

But given that the only other Slovakian player in Sharks history was the great Miroslav Zalesak, he of twelve career NHL games, 'Zus gets the nod by default which is sort of the same way he ended up with a Cup ring this year. Brought in to center a third line the Sharks were intent on revamping, a decision that seemed like an overreaction to their 2011 Conference Final loss to Vancouver, Handzus was a black hole of puck possession and a non-factor offensively during his only full season in San Jose.

He was just as bad this season before being dealt to Chicago at the trade deadline. By all accounts, Handzus is a great teammate and all-around good guy so I was happy to see him win it all with the Blackhawks.

But, if I'm being honest, I'm even happier that he's no longer a Shark.

Czech Republic: Milan Michalek

Sharks fans have their fingers crossed that Tomas Hertl, the 17th overall pick in the 2012 entry draft and a good bet to make the team out of training camp this fall, winds up atop this category sooner rather than later but the honors here still belong to the team's last highly-drafted Czech forward (I'm pretending Lukas Kaspar never happened, if that's quite all right with you). Taken sixth overall in that magical 2003 draft, Michalek may be overshadowed by some of his fellow draftees but still gave San Jose several years of valuable service. After scoring his first goal in his first NHL game, Michalek's would-be rookie season in 2003-04 was cut short by an ACL tear just two games in, foreshadowing the injury concerns that still plague him to this day.

After an extensive rehab process that lasted the entire 2004-05 lockout, Michalek rebooted his NHL career following the work stoppage and almost immediately established himself as a difference-maker. Michalek's size, speed and puck skills were second only to Patrick Marleau over the duration of his tenure in teal and helped him eclipse the 20-goal mark every season he spent as a Shark after his first one.

More importantly, Michalek's physical tools made him one of San Jose's most versatile forwards. He thrived on a sheltered scoring line alongside Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo in 2007-08 just as well as he drove play against elite opposing forwards with Joe Pavelski and Ryane Clowe in 2008-09, a year in which he also averaged nearly two minutes a game on one of the league's best penalty killing units. Michalek may have never reached his full potential before potting 35 goals on the Senators in 2011-12 but he was still a multidimensional top-six forward during his post-lockout career in San Jose and a weapon in all three zones.

While it's hard to argue with a trade that in part produced consecutive Conference Final appearances, it's certainly still debatable whether swapping Michalek for Dany Heatley was the right move.

REST OF THE WORLD CATEGORY

Marco Sturm (Germany)

Since going with the Ireland-born but Canada-trained Owen Nolan feels like cheating, the pick here isn't quite so obvious. For years, the Sharks were scouting Germany when no one else really was which means most of the contenders for this spot hail from Deutschland save for a duo of Latvians who were significant components of the franchise's early years.

One of them is Sandis Ozolinsh. Dan Boyle a decade and a half before Dan Boyle wound up in San Jose, Ozolinsh was a supreme offensive talent from the blueline who still holds the franchise's single-season record for points by a defenseman (and was, of course, eventually traded for Nolan).

The other was goaltender Arturs Irbe, a fan favorite and one of the biggest reasons the Sharks shocked the hockey world by qualifying for the playoffs in their third season as a franchise and knocked out Detroit in round one. Irbe appeared in an incredible 74 games that year and finished 12th among starters in save percentage.

As for the Germans, Marcel Goc and Christian Ehrhoff have developed into valuable players, with Goc rounding into one of the league's most reliable checking-line centers and Ehrhoff coming off a season in which he posted impressive underlying numbers for a horrendous Buffalo team. But neither of them were quite as effective during their days in San Jose.

One German who was just as good as a Shark as he was following his trade to Boston for Joe Thornton is Marco Sturm, the speedy winger selected by San Jose in the first round of the 1996 draft. Sturm is one of just 40 active players to have posted seven or more twenty-goal seasons, three (and a half) of which he compiled for the Sharks prior to that fateful November day. Sturm brought the combination of speed and two-way savvy that many of those pre-Thornton era Sharks teams built their entire rosters around and he coupled that with a scoring touch to establish himself as one of the club's most effective all-around forwards of the early 2000s.

Ozolinsh's peak was a tad more impressive and Irbe's contributions to that iconic '94 team will never be forgotten but Sturm's body of work in teal earns him the nod here.

]]>Sat, 24 Aug 2013 09:11:45 PDTGreg WyshynskinhlPuck Daddyurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,5fe793ad-61b0-323a-a17b-c390dd779859-l:1Ottawa Senators, National Hockey League of Nationshttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/ottawa-senators-national-hockey-league-nations-202134800.html
(Ed. Note: Welcome to the Puck Daddy 2013 summer project, the National Hockey League of Nations. We’ve recruited 30 writers/blogs to identify the best player in their favorite team’s history for each major nationality that creates the fabric of our beloved NHL: Canada, USA, Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Sweden, Finland and The Rest of The World. It’s their criteria, as long as they can justify it. Read, debate and enjoy! If you want to do so on Twitter, it's #NHLoN.)

It would be fruitless to argue that the Ottawa Senators have as rich a history as their division rivals. If you take out your official copy of The NHL Board of Governors Atlas and take a look at the other seven teams scattered along the Atlantic coast, you’ll quickly spot four Original Six opponents in the proximity of Ottawa.

Despite the inability to draw in big name free agents, Ottawa’s all-time international team is as impressive as any. Thanks to prolific drafting and the development of young players within the organization, the Senators have managed to put together a solid international cast of characters.

More impressive in the team’s short history is the abundance of players who have ended their tenure in Ottawa on less than amicable terms with the team. In fact, this list of players could go pound for pound with Ottawa’s all-time team.

Grab a tissue as we walk down memory lane to revisit Ottawa’s International All-Scorn Team.

Dany proved that even “good Canadian kids” can leave for greener pastures and that Hell hath no fury like a beauty asked to do something other than camp out in the high slot.

The Good:

• After being acquired for Marian Hossa in 2005, Heatley put up two straight 50 goal, 100 point seasons; only the second player in NHL history to do so in his first two campaigns with a new club. Some guy named Wayne beat him to it.

• Trading him landed Milan Michalek, who has provided the Sens with a consistent presence in the trainer's room.

• Infamously demanded a trade from Ottawa in the summer of 2009, citing his reduced role with the team.

• Handcuffed Ottawa with his no-trade clause, including blocking a trade to Edmonton

The Ugly:

• Resulted in Ottawa flea markets, thrift stores, and homeless shelters being clogged with remaindered Jonathan Cheechoo Sens jerseys, most of which are now being used as car shammies.Finland Jarmo KekalainenIn case you thought for a moment that no Finn has ever wronged another human being, we stretched as far as we could to find one that has done anything mildly negative to the Senators.

The Good:

• Played 28 games with the Senators, tallying a goal and five assists.

Like most Bond villains, Ottawa’s first villain hailed from the Motherland, sporting his country’s finest turtlenecks.

The Good:

• Ottawa's first-ever draft pick and franchise player.

• Was part of one of the most lopsided trades in NHL history when he was dealt to the New York Islanders in 2001 for 2nd overall pick Jason Spezza, future Norris winner Zdeno Chara, and Bill Muckalt, legendary in Ottawa for his 70 game, 0 goal season. Muckalt inspired the creation of the Bill Muckalt Trophy, awarded to every Ottawa Senators player who plays at least 25 games in a season without scoring a goal.

• Yashin’s stripped captaincy was given to Daniel Alfredsson, who would certainly never desert the team on short notice.

• Donated $1,000,000 to the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.

The Bad:

• His donation required the NAC to pay Yashin's parents $425,000 in "consulting fees", forcing the NAC to reject the donation

• Demanded a new contract and raise before his current deal had expired.

• Demanded a new contract and raise before his current deal had expired (again).

• Demanded a new contract and raise before his current deal had expired (yet again).

• Was suspended for the entire 99-00 season over his final contract dispute with the club before finally demanding a trade a year later. He was considered untradeable, which is why he was highly sought-after by Mike Milbury.

The Ugly:

• His wardrobe choices:

The Classic Yashin The Russian Bill Cosby

How do you spell "Top Gun" in the Cyrillic alphabet?

His worst fashion faux pas.

Slovakia:Zdeno Chara

While nobody in Ottawa bears any ill will towards Zdeno Chara, letting him go was the biggest mistake in franchise history. The joke is that he’s big.

The Good:

• One of the best defencemen in Ottawa Senators history, earning the team’s first-ever Norris trophy nomination.

• Sens fans were lucky enough to learn who the shortest player on the opposing team every night when the TV crew inevitably gave a size comparison.

• Representing Ottawa in the 2003 All-Star game, Chara placed 2nd behind Al MacInnis for the all-time hardest shot record, marking the first time Ottawa came close to any positive league records.

The Bad:

• “6 foot 9” is now repeated over and over in the nightmares of every Ottawa native.

• Adoring Sens fans gave him the nickname “the Big Zed,” which failed to translate in US markets.

Chara went on to win a Norris trophy and the Stanley Cup as the captain of the Boston Bruins, while Wade Redden went on to buy every player on the Connecticut Whale an iPod.

Czech Republic::Dominik Hasek

“The Dominator provided the Ottawa Senators a lesson in why it may not be beneficial to have your players attend the Olympic Games,” said Jason Spezza, wistfully.

The Good:

• Arguably the best goaltender of all-time.

• Marks the only time an Ottawa GM (John Muckler) lured a noteworthy free agent to Ottawa. And yes, we see you Alex Kovalev. Keep moving.

• Was having an excellent season for the Senators (28-10-4, 2.09 GAA, .925 SV%) leading into the 2006 Olympic break before succumbing to an adductor muscle injury playing for his native Czech Republic.

• Taught the city of Ottawa what an adductor muscle is.

The Bad:

• Possibly made up the adductor muscle.

• Accused of quitting on the team by making little to no effort to rehab.

• May have also said Ottawa was a "small-minded town", but nobody could understand what he said.

The Ugly:

• Fled to Detroit as a free agent and went on to win the Stanley Cup, setting the example for future Ottawa Senator veterans.

REST OF THE WORLD CATEGORY

Martin Gerber, Switzerland

If you thought the Swiss remained forever neutral, you were wrong.

Good:

• Served as a good luck charm, as he made Stanley Cup appearances in 3 out of 4 seasons as a backup goalie in 2003 (Anaheim), 2006 (Carolina), and 2007 (Ottawa).

• Marked one of the first questionable moves of the Brian Burke era when the Leafs claimed Gerber off waivers in 2009. Gerber played well enough to move them out of a lottery pick, a feat the entire Toronto Maple Leafs team could not accomplish

• Had an awesome plain black mask which earned him the nickname “Darth Gerber”, which he followed up with sporting a legendary Darth Vader mask.

Bad:

• Only had the plain black mask because he refused to commit even short-term to the Ottawa Senators.

• Wore the Darth Vader mask only a handful of times before deciding it was bad luck.

• Was a big baby (get it?) and requested a trade out of Ottawa after losing the starter's job to Ray Emery.

• That’s NHL All-Star Peter Sidorkiewicz to you. Sidorkiewicz needed only 60 games with the Ottawa Senators to secure his spot in the record books. His impressive 3 wins by the 1992-1993 All-Star break earned him a spot in the All-Star game as a representative Ottawa’s expansion squad.

]]>Tue, 20 Aug 2013 13:21:34 PDTGreg WyshynskinhlPuck Daddyurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,cb8823c9-8c1d-3803-a95d-b0964003ceca-l:1How Paul MacLean won the 2013 Jack Adams Trophyhttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/paul-maclean-won-2013-jack-adams-award-213043585.html
In his second consecutive year as a Jack Adams nominee, Ottawa Senators' head coach Paul MacLean has taken home the award for "the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success," as voted on by the illustrious members of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association (a.k.a the NBA).

MacLean beat out co-nominees Bruce Boudreau and Joel Quenneville, the latter of whom will have to settle for the Mike Babcock award, which unofficially goes to "the NHL coach adjudged to have a team too good to win the Jack Adams".

So what did MacLean do to come away with coach of the year honours? As per the NHL:

MacLean guided the Senators (25-17-6) to a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs despite the extended absence of several key players due to injury. Defenseman Erik Karlsson, the reigning Norris Trophy winner, was limited to 17 games; defenseman Jared Cowen, the ninth overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft, was sidelined for all but seven games; top forwards Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek played in just five and 23 contests, respectively; and starting goaltender Craig Anderson appeared in just 24 games. MacLean led a youthful Senators lineup, which included a League-high 14 rookies making at least one appearance, to the top defensive record in the Eastern Conference (2.08 goals-against per game).

In other words, he took a team that was stripped of its stars due to injury, and still managed to get them into the playoffs. Since the Jack Adams has effectively become an award for coaches that have more success than we can reasonably explain, given their roster, that'll do it.

Here's how the Walrus won the day:

It really was a two-horse race, although it's interesting to note that Therrien actually had more first-place votes than Boudreau, the third nominee.

And yes, that is Randy Carlyle in seventh place, with three first-place votes. Identify yourself, three insane voting members.

]]>Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:30:43 PDTHarrison MooneynhlPuck Daddyurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,92e3cb12-86f1-30bc-8712-c4c4d3ec2195-l:1What We Learned: That’s why Jonathan Toews is a legendary leaderhttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/learned-why-jonathan-toews-legendary-leader-142400547.html
Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend’s events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it.

True leaders in sports rise to the occasion; and so it was that when the Chicago Blackhawks needed a win to keep their Stanley Cup hopes alive in this postseason, they turned to somehow-still-young captain Jonathan Toews.

I swear that Toews seems like he's been in the league for a decade at this point even if he's just 25, but maybe it's a result of all the talk for how wise-beyond-his-years he is and how much respect he commands and how clutch he is.

You want evidence of these things? Go back to the game tape from Saturday night, when Toews was a plus-8 Corsi and finally even scored that goal he's been looking for since the regular season ended. That's the definition of clutch, right there. Adding the third goal out of four, on the power play, to pull him only three back of Bryan Bickell's postseason total. That's leading by example when his team had its backs against the wall. That's a mere one fewer than Andrew Shaw had in the final two periods.

Finally he broke through, and what a shot to get it done too, right? A resurgence, that's what it was. A way to build momentum. He was the guy that rose to the challenge, too. And all it took was his team getting decked three games straight by a team that any rational observer looked at and said, "Hey, if they don't get swept, that'll be something else."

Well jeez, hey, Detroit didn't get swept. That five-game run they were supposed to get is now at seven at the absolute worst, and that's a modicum of hope no one would have granted them a week and a half ago. Why? Chicago's resurgent leader who needed to rise to the challenge finally stopped complaining about the refs long enough to pop one into the net and pull his team back into a situation in which they merely had to win two straight now, instead of three. That's, well, I mean it's something. It's better than bowing out quietly, for sure. And that's why he has the C on his chest, or whichever argument we're now making to insulate Jonny Toews, a world-class hockey player and stoic champion and heraldic leader of men everyone should aspire to be.

All that, of course, ignores that Toews should never have allowed his team to have been in that position.

If we're going to start handing out credentials based on leadershipiness and hustlehavingitude, Toews is usually a good place to start, but that sure doesn't excuse the garbage he turned out in the first nine games of these playoffs.

The line around the block that formed as media morons queued up to defend his 0-3-3 line through nine games rivaled those at Space Mountain at the height of its drawing power, and then the second he scores in what is a borderline blowout, there was nearly confetti falling from press row. "SEE!? Jonathan Toews is a world-class player? He's right back on track now!" Yuck.

Isn't it amazing that he scored once he finally got away from Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall and whichever top-flight checking forwards and shutdown defensemen Mike Babcock could throw over the boards on every shift? Having last change and a power play so he could be on the ice against Brendan Smith, Kyle Quincey, Patrick Eaves and Joakim Andersson, boy doesn't that just validate everything that was ever said about him and why we should just forgive this luckless streak.

All that stuff about how shouldn't we take it easy on him because Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall were out there against him every shift? (Well, no, because that's who elite centers get matched up against.)

And how he's very good defensively so what's he supposed to even do out there, both score and defend? (Well, yes, because that's what he did every other game this year, regardless of opponent.)

Look, it's not like he wasn't being put in those exact same positions in the regular season, and wow look what he did against the Red Wings then: 2-3-5 in four games. I guess when you're not shooting 20 percent, it's a little harder to look effective.

The point is, the Blackhawks should have run riot over the Red Wings, with Jonathan Toews riding up front with a host of bloodthirsty cohorts at his back. He should have been bathing in the blood of his defeated archrivals days ago. Now we're settling for him scoring once to force a Game 6 that likely would have happened even if he'd been characteristically silent in this second victory too.

I just hope that if the Blackhawks do rebound and win this series, and then return to form behind their resurgent, momentum-backed, challenge-ready captain, that the Blackhawks' PR staff get their names on the Cup. They're working as hard as anyone to keep the kinds of slings and arrows that would have been rightly thrown at a guy like Joe Thornton a million times over this spring from getting through to their own No. 19. Hell, I'd give 'em the Conn Smythe too. We know for sure Toews isn't getting it this time around.

Ah, but that goal was pretty good. All worth it, really.

What We Learned

Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks recently signed prospect Stefan Warg, and I hear that guy really turns into a beast on the penalty kill.

Boston Bruins: For real, though, this Torey Krug thing is more impressive than Chris Kreider ever was last year because he's also playing well in his own end as a defenseman and he was undrafted, instead of being a first-round pick.

Calgary Flames: Bob Hartley says he texts Jarome Iginla all the time, but I bet a good percentage of those are either ignored outright or met with responses of, "ok."

Carolina Hurricanes: The Hurricanes and NC State are having a bit of a fight over scheduling conflicts for next season as a result of the latter trying to hold too many potential dates at the same time. Here's a solution: Have NC State schedule all its home games for when the NHL playoffs happen, because Carolina won't be playing then.

Florida Panthers: A Vancouver Canucks fan living in British Columbia bought Panthers season tickets for $173 and literally couldn't give his tickets away most nights. He gave away four of them to Panthers "fans" for free, and three were used. On a schedule with 24 home dates.

Los Angeles Kings: Why are the Kings playing well (even despite that loss last night)? Fundamentals, baby. Darryl Sutter has 'em running passing drills and making layups and passing six times before they shoot. Some real Coach Carter stuff.

Minnesota Wild: The state of Minnesota forgave about $28.75 million in debts for the Xcel Energy Center and that might lead to more upgrades for the building. Should've just had Parise and Suter go halfsies on it.

Montreal Canadiens: The Canadiens are a little thin on top-quality prospects, so should they try to trade up? Depends on how high they can get. In theory they have the picks this year to get into the top six, but don't tell Jay Feaster that whatever you do.

Nashville Predators: The Predators fired their head athletic trainer, who had been with the team since its inaugural season, maybe because just three players got into all 48 games this season. I mean, that seems like a good reason.

New Jersey Devils: Really interesting analysis here of how much the Devils should pay Adam Henrique this summer but James Neal's second contract (two years, $2.875 million per) seems the most comparable. Then they just need to trade him to Pittsburgh to make him good.

Phoenix Coyotes: The Coyotes are pretty close to having a new owner. But man, I really feel like I've heard that kind of thing before. Hmm, where would that have come up? I might never remember. Incidentally, today is Day No. 290 since Jude LaCava of Fox 10 in Arizona said Greg Jamison would have the deal for the Coyotes sewn up within the next five days.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Oh, THIS is why Jean-Gabriel Pageau was supposed to be in the ECHL this season. Sincerely, Evgeni Malkin and James Neal, who are really good players in the NHL.

San Jose Sharks: The Sharks will play in a Game 7 tomorrow night. I know what you're thinking: "Those losing losers must always lose in Game 7s because losing is what they do." Nah, dude, the last time they lost one was in 2002 against the Avalanche, and they're 5-2 all-time. Since acquiring Joe Thornton, they're 2-0.

St. Louis Blues: The Blues re-signed Adam Cracknell for some reason. This is in the running for least-notable contract of the summer.

Washington Capitals: The Caps really seem to like not having to worry about who's going to be coaching them next season. Time to go with that feeling, I guess.

Winnipeg Jets: The Jets loved what they saw out of 19-year-old defenseman Jacob Trouba at the World Championships. Jacob Trouba is an American, in case you didn't know.

Play of the Weekend

It ended up mattering not even a little bit but man the setup by Jason Spezza and finish by Milan Michalek on this Ottawa goal was nice.

Gold Star AwardJames Neal had a hat trick and an assist in a series-clinching game and that's probably what you're looking for in that kind of situation.

Minus of the Weekend

Craig Anderson looked pretty bad in the last two games of that series, giving up 12 goals on 71 shots. An .831 save percentage in those two is a much bigger reason the Sens got creamed than Alfredsson giving an honest answer to a question, eh?

It was epic Neal time in Pittsburgh as the winger scored thrice in the Penguins' 6-2 rout of the Senators, leading his club into the third round of the 2013 postseason. Enjoy this clip of all three goals, unless you're a Senators fan, in which case, maybe just skip ahead:

No. 2 Star: Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins

Letang was all over the ice, setting up the Penguins' second goal from behind the net, scoring the eventual game-winner, and adding another assist on Neal's hat trick goal. With three points on the night, Letang finished the series with 10 points. He's a defenceman.

No. 3 Star: Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins

Malkin was his usual, ho-hum, game-breaking self, with a quiet two points in the win.

Honourable mention: In the end, it didn't mean much, but Jason Spezza's pass to Milan Michalek for this goal was pretty nifty:

The Pittsburgh Penguins advanced to the Eastern Conference finals Friday, eliminating the Ottawa Senators -- the last remaining Canadian team -- with a decisive 6-2 victory in Game 5.

With that, an American club will win the Stanley Cup for the 19th straight season. Now comes the annual Canadian tradition where the country shifts from counting Canadian teams in contention to Canadian players on American teams.

The Senators made a slight improvement in Game 5, holding the Penguins to fewer goals than in their previous game. Unfortunately, it was just one fewer, and that's not nearly enough when they allowed 7 the last time around.

This game was a lot like Game 4, come to think of it: All Pittsburgh, and not all that close.

The Penguins got on the board early, opening the scoring when Brenden Morrow redirected a Mark Eaton pass into the goal with his skate.

It was reviewed, but the officials ruled that there had been no distinct kicking motion (or at least not as much of one as when Mika Zibanejad scored a goal similarly in Round 1).

Pittsburgh doubled the lead on a second period powerplay, when Kris Letang threw a puck into the goal mouth, Craig Anderson lost it in his equipment, and James Neal was the first to find it.

Ottawa would never get any closer. Letang scored what would turn out to be the game-winner five minutes later, and after a Milan Michalek goal brought them back within two, Neal and Evgeni Malkin would force a turnover and connect on a late, second-period dagger:

In the third, Neal went off, adding two more of his own for a hat trick as the Penguins closed out the series.

The Penguins were so explosive in this game, they added another goal in the handshake line.

Said Paul MacLean after the rout: "I hope they don't bill us for the clinic." That guy is the best and now we won't get another press conference from him until next year. In a way, we all lost tonight.

The Penguins outscored the Senators 26-11 in this series, and if you're looking for the reason the Senators are heading home and the Penguins are heading to the Eastern Conference finals, I'd start there. Ottawa simply couldn't handle the Penguins' attack. Like, at all.

Can Pittsburgh's next opponent? The Penguins had a much easier time with the Senators than the Islanders, and one wonders if Ottawa was simply an inferior opponent, or if Pittsburgh has found their legs. The latter idea is a scary thought. Sidney Crosby scored just once in the final two games of this series. Pittsburgh still scored 13 times. The Boston Bruins (or New York Rangers, I guess) have to be hoping that was Ottawa's fault.

But it wasn't all sunshine and roses for the Penguins. With the win, the conditional draft pick they traded for Douglas Murray officially became a second 2nd-rounder. Ray Shero is probably okay with that, though.

As for the Senators, it wasn't a great way to go out, but they still have to be proud of what they accomplished this season. Many hockey fans wrote them off months ago, but they're only finished now. Plus, they look to have a promising future.

Whether captain Daniel Alfredsson is a part of it remains to be seen. Does he have one more year left in him?

As part of their 7-3 win over the Ottawa Senators in Game 4, Neal scored twice, including a power play tally, and assisted on an another as the Penguins took a 3-1 series lead. The goal were Neal's first since Game 4 against the New York Islanders.

No. 2 Star: Jarome Iginla, Pittsburgh Penguins

Iginla netted a pair, including one of Pittsburgh's two power play goals. He's now put up points in eight of the Penguins' 10 playoff games.

No. 3 Star: Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins

Letang had a couple of bad turnovers, but did finish with four assists. He now leads all defenseman in scoring with 13 points.

Honorable mention: Chris Phillips made the save of the game, robbing Sidney Crosby with his toe:

Milan Michalek's shorthanded goal that opened the scoring was a beauty:

Pascal Dupuis and Crosby both finished with a goal and an assist ... The Penguins power play scored on two of their five opportunities. They lead all teams with 12 power play goals and a 28.6 percent success rate ... Pittsburgh scored goals 40 seconds and 31 seconds apart, the latter as part of a three-goal surge over 1:45 in the third period ... Daniel Alfredsson's goal was his 100th career playoff point ... Paul MacLean gave a great press conference afterward.

Dishonorable mention: Craig Anderson was pulled for the second time in three games after allowing six goals on 32 shots.

]]>Wed, 22 May 2013 21:01:35 PDTSean LeahynhlPuck Daddyurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,987a19e0-2551-3804-a5e9-5eb6e2d70c57-l:1Penguins rebound with 7-3 win, take 3-1 series lead over Senatorshttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/penguins-rebound-7-3-win-3-1-series-025324930.html
Game 4 began looking like it was going to be another one of those games for the Pittsburgh Penguins. You know those games by now, right? Sloppy play. Turnovers. Questions about their goaltending.

It started off just 2:29 into the game when Milan Michalek's shorthanded goal had Scotiabank Place buzzing. Later, after Kyle Turris pounced on a puck during a scramble in front of Tomas Vokoun's crease to give Ottawa a 2-1 lead -- and the Senators killed both power plays they handed the Penguins -- things were looking promising after one period. Craig Anderson was playing like he did in Game 3, making 15 saves in the first period to deny a flying Pittsburgh offense.

"We had to make sure we played the right way," said Kris Letang to NBC Sports Network's Brian Engblom about the Penguins' adjustments between periods. "We were a little on our heels ... We had to regroup."

Regroup they did, and in a matter of 40 seconds the game flipped on its head.

Chris Kunitz and Jarome Iginla scored 40 seconds apart early in the second period to kill any momentum the Senators thought they had after Turris' late first period goal. But the red light behind Anderson was just getting warmed up. The Penguins would add four more in the opening 9:53 of the third period, with James Neal and Iginla each finishing with a pair of goals, en route to a 7-3 victory and a 3-1 series lead.

Three of those four goals game in a 1:45 span, with Pascal Dupuis (shorthanded) and Sidney Crosby scoring scoring just 31 seconds apart:

Entering Game 4, Ottawa had outscored its opponents in the playoffs 14-1 in the third period. That offense shriveled up in the final 20 minutes and made way for the Penguins. And after Crosby's goal, Anderson was pulled for the second time in three games.

"[We tried to] put pucks at his feet and try to get the rebound, and it actually worked," Letang said.

Facing elimination Friday night in Pittsburgh, Game 4 might have been Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson's final home game. When the final buzzer sounded, he grabbed the puck and skated off the ice for possibly the final time in front of Senators fans.

"We don't have much going for us right now," said Alfredsson. "Maybe that's the way we like it." When asked if the Senators have a shot at coming back on the Penguins, Alfredsson said (via NHL.com's Erin Nicks), "Probably not. [Pittsburgh's] depth and our play right now … it doesn't look good," before adding the team doesn't plan on quitting.

The Senators have a shot, but only if Good Craig Anderson shows up. The Craig Anderson that helped carry them through the injuries and into the playoffs. The Craig Anderson that would have been a Vezina Trophy candidate had he not been injured. The Craig Anderson who was superb in Game 3, stopping 49 shots during a double overtime win.

The Ottawa Senators were staring a three-game deficit right in the face, down a goal with 90 seconds to go. Then, to make matters worse, Erik Karlsson took a slashing penalty, putting them down a man as well. But the Senators refused to go away, and a minute into the penalty, Daniel Alfredsson sneaked into the Pittsburgh zone, unmarked, and Milan Michalek found him in front of the net. Alfy sealed the deal, as Alfies often do, ending Tomas Vokoun's shutout bid and sending the game into overtimes.

Yes, overtimes. For the first time in the 2013 postseason, it took double OT for this game to produce a winner, and when it did, the Senators were back in the series. At 7:39 of the second overtime, Colin Greening banged home a loose puck to give the Sens a 2-1 victory:

And with that, the legend of the pesky Sens lives on. This team just won't go away. Pittsburgh will be left to wonder if it was their brutally lackadaisical approach to the powerplay late in regulation that cost them the lead, or destiny.

(Probably the former. But the latter makes for a nice narrative, no?)

Even after tying the game up in miraculous fashion, the Senators were nearly dealt the fatal blow numerous times. Pascal Dupuis hit a post in the first overtime. Evgeni Malkin had several terrifying forays into the Senators' end. They even survived another Pittsburgh powerplay in OT number two.

Alfredsson and Greening will get much of the credit for stealing Game 3 -- which is sort of what happens when you get your name on the scoresheet after the 59th minute -- but Craig Anderson was a deserving first star after keeping the game within stealing distance all night. The Senators' netminder stopped 49 of 50 shots in the win.

How close were the Senators to the end? After the game, Greening -- who took a high-stick in the second and was late to the postgame scrum because doctors had to extract the fiberglass that had been sitting in his face for two and a half periods -- looked like he'd just come from Dexter's kill table.

You can't get much closer to death than that. Not many people survive the blood slide moment.

Game 4 goes Wednesday in Ottawa.

]]>Sun, 19 May 2013 21:13:52 PDTHarrison MooneynhlPuck Daddyurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,4967504d-ded0-3a35-b4e4-cbb51ac4aec2-l:1Jason Spezza cleared to play, will return to Senators’ lineup for Game 3http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/jason-spezza-cleared-play-return-senators-lineup-game-185202876.html

The return home for Game 3 will give the Ottawa Senators a little bit of a boost as they attempt get back into their second-round series with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but with a 3-0 hole looming, the club would no doubt welcome a boost to their boost.

It looks like they'll get one of those too. After undergoing surgery for a herniated disc in his back and missing the last four months, Jason Spezza has been medically cleared to play.

He'll be in the Senators' lineup for Game 3. (Double boost!)

"I'm excited to have a chance to play again," Spezza said. "I feel ready to play."

Where he'll play remains to be seen, but Spezza has practiced on the Senators' first line alongside frequent running mate Milan Michalek, so our educated guess would be there.

That makes sense. Down 0-2, the Senators really aren't in a position to ease him into the lineup. Still, the question is what sort of impact he'll be able to have in his first game in 4 months. There's a good chance he'll see a lot of Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, the latter of whom notched a hat trick in Game 2. These are matchups he needs to win, and that's a lot to ask of anyone, let alone a guy that's played just 5 games this season.

But it's not like Spezza's not capable of it. His last game with the Senators was versus these very Penguins, and while Ottawa lost the decision, 2-1, in a shootout, Spezza was a large part of the reason they came away from that one with a point, finishing well above water in his head-to-head matchups with both of the Penguins' star pivots, and assisting on Ottawa's game-tying goal.

Spezza played the majority of this game matched up with Evgeni Malkin, while Kyle Turris saw the Crosby matchup (as he has for Games 1 and 2, and I'd expect he will in Game 3, Crosby's hat trick notwithstanding).

But when Spezza didn't see Malkin, he saw Crosby, and despite playing the majority of the night versus two of the best centres in the Eastern Conference, Spezza finished the evening with an even-strength Corsi rate (plus/minus for shots attempted, basically) of plus-9. Crosby was a minus-9. Malkin was a minus-6.

Spezza, who is a much better two-way player now than he was the last time the Senators and the Penguins met in the playoffs, also won 11 of 16 faceoffs versus this duo in that game.

If the Senators can return a guy capable of winning these pivotal shifts, their chances of staging a comeback in this series increase exponentially. But after four months on the shelf, one wonders if Spezza can be the player he's capable of being right away.

]]>Sat, 18 May 2013 11:52:02 PDTHarrison MooneynhlPuck Daddyurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,33a86184-0b09-3391-90df-0e7b9b19d488-l:1Jack Adams Award: Bruce Boudreau vs. Paul MacLean vs. Joel Quennevillehttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/jack-adams-award-bruce-boudreau-vs-paul-maclean-160548915.html
The NHL announced the finalists for the Jack Adams Award on Friday, as Bruce Boudreau of the Anaheim Ducks, Paul MacLean of the Ottawa Senators and Joel Quenneville of the Chicago Blackhawks are up for the trophy presented to the head coach who has "contributed the most to his team's success," as voted on by members of the NHL Broadcasters' Association.

We imagine it warms Mike Babcock’s heart to see Quenneville get a nomination, being that President’s Trophy winners don’t always get the Jack Adams love. Then again, it’s hard to ignore a coach who guides his team to 24 straight games with at least a point to start the season.

It was a bumper crop for great NHL coaching performances this season, which is bad news for Jack Capuano of the New York Islanders, Mike Yeo of the Minnesota Wild, Dan Bylsma of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Babcock and especially Michel Therrien of the Montreal Canadiens.

Who takes home the Jack?

Why Bruce Boudreau Deserves The Jack

The NHL says …

Boudreau, in his first full season behind the Anaheim bench, led the club to its finest regular season in franchise history, capturing the Pacific Division title and No. 2 seed in the Western Conference with a club-record points percentage (.688, 30-12-6). The Ducks made dramatic gains over 2011-12 in several categories, climbing from 25th to third in the overall NHL standings; from 23rd to eighth in average goals-per-game (2.45 to 2.79); from 19th to 11th in average goals-against (2.73 to 2.40); and from 21st to fourth in power-play percentage (16.6% to 21.5%). Boudreau is vying for his second career Jack Adams Award, having captured the trophy in 2007-08 with Washington in his first appearance as a finalist.

There’s no denying that Boudreau’s system and style fit this group of Ducks well, especially in activating their defense as an offensive force. (Hello, career year from Francois Beauchemin.) He used his role players as well as his stars.

Why Paul MacLean Deserves The Jack

The NHL says …

MacLean guided the Senators (25-17-6) to a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs despite the extended absence of several key players due to injury. Defenseman Erik Karlsson, the reigning Norris Trophy winner, was limited to 17 games; defenseman Jared Cowen, the ninth overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft, was sidelined for all but seven games; top forwards Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek played in just five and 23 contests, respectively; and starting goaltender Craig Anderson appeared in just 24 games. MacLean led a youthful Senators lineup, which included a League-high 14 rookies making at least one appearance, to the top defensive record in the Eastern Conference (2.08 goals-against per game). He earned his second consecutive berth as a Jack Adams finalist, finishing third as a rookie NHL head coach in 2012.

It’s easy to say that MacLean kept the Senators afloat thanks to stellar goaltending, but then his stellar goaltender was injured too. The job he did in moving pieces around due to injury and still maintaining enough success to make the postseason was unmatched this season. Without question, the most piece of a coaching my a Bug-Eyed Walrus the NHL has ever seen.

Why Joel Quenneville Deserves The Jack

The NHL says …

Quenneville's Blackhawks posted a record start to the season by earning a point in each of their first 24 games (21-0-3), smashing the NHL's longest previous season-opening streak of 16 games set by the Anaheim Ducks in 2006-07. The club went on to capture the Presidents' Trophy as the League's top regular-season club with a 36-7-5 record for 77 points. The Blackhawks ranked first overall in team defense (2.02 goals-against per game), second in offense (3.10 goals per game) and third in penalty killing (87.2%); posted a 26-2-1 mark when scoring first; and were 26-1-2 when leading after two periods. Quenneville captured the Jack Adams Award in 1999-2000 with St. Louis in his previous appearance as a finalist.

The streak mandated that Coach Q be given a spot in the top three, even if his is the deepest of the three teams represented in the Jack Adams final three.

Who Should Win The Jack Adams

The crime here is Michel Therrien not getting a spot in the final three. He took a team everyone had pegged for the lottery and won a tough division with it, while imprinting his personality on the players to give the team a new one.

Should he have won? No. The award should go to Quenneville, who had the Blackhawks on pace for a 131-point season.

Who Will Win The Jack Adams

MacLean, which is no snub to Quenneville. He guided a team devastated by significant injuries back to the Eastern Conference playoffs, and that’s a slam-dunk for voters. Plus he's sorta well-liked. Therrien, on the other hand ...

]]>Fri, 17 May 2013 09:05:48 PDTGreg WyshynskinhlPuck Daddyurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,b3e8e024-cb0a-3dfc-b1ef-cc93dcc5d155-l:1Pittsburgh Penguins (1) vs. Ottawa Senators (7): Puck Daddy’s NHL 2013 Stanley Cup Playoff Previewhttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/pittsburgh-penguins-1-vs-ottawa-senators-7-puck-221241097.html
The opening round had its share of weirdness for both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Ottawa Senators. The former was nearly pushed to the brink by the New York Islanders. The latter saw a grown man compared to a walrus by an opponent.

Sidney Crosby (9 points), Pascal Dupuis (5 goals, 7 points total) and Chris Kunitz (5 points) make up the Penguins’ top line, with Crosby averaging 21:43 TOI in five games. Leading scorer Evgeni Malkin’s second line with Jarome Iginla (9 points) and James Neal (1 goal in 4 games) can be just as potent. Brandon Sutter struggled a bit in the Islanders series with linemates Brenden Morrow (1 assist) and Matt Cooke. Joe Vitale, Craig Adams and Tyler Kennedy make the most of their limited minutes.

The Senators averaged four goals per game against Montreal, second in the playoffs to the Penguins (4.17). Daniel Alfredsson (six points) led all Sens forwards, and plays on a line with Kyle Turris (5 points) and Cory Conacher (3 goals). The young guns of Mika Zibanejab and Jakob Silfverberg combine with Milan Michalek on the second line. Zack Smith, Chris Neil and Matt Kassian bring the thunder and are going to be a key energy line in this series. Colin Greening, Erik Condra (four points) and the unsung Jean-Gabriel Pageau (3 goals) fill out the forwards.

Advantage: Penguins

DEFENSE

The Penguins’ Kris Letang and Paul Martin lead the team with six points. Martin and Brooks Oprik are paired, with the latter having had a strong series against the Islanders. Letang, the Pens’ ice time leader (27:46), plays with Matt Niskanen. Deryk Engelland and the surprisingly offensive Douglas Murray bring size in the Pens’ other pairing.

The Senators have six points from Erik Karlsson so far, as the offensive dynamo is paired with Marc Methot (5 points). Sergei Gonchar (23:04) and Chris Phillips (20:56) make up a pairing that was a combined plus-8 in the first round. Eric Gryba, of the brutal hit on Lars Eller, sees time with Jared Cowen.

Advantage: Even

GOALIES

Tomas Vokoun starts Game 1 for the Penguins after winning consecutive games to close out the Islanders. He stopped 34 of 35 shots to win his only appearance against the Sens this season. One assumes Marc-Andre Fleury will get back into these playoffs for Pittsburgh, but he may have also played himself (.891 save percentage) out of the net.

Craig Anderson was brilliant against the Habs, sporting a 1.80 GAA and a .950 save percentage. That’s after a regular season that saw him post a 1.69 GAA and a .941 save percentage. Simply put: Had he not been injured, Anderson would have probably won the Vezina this season.

Advantage: Senators

PLAYERS THAT DESERVE AN ASTERISK

We live in a world where Pascal Dupuis has as many goals as Crosby and Malkin combined. Meanwhile, raise your hand if you knew what a “Jean-Gabriel Pageau” was before he scored three goals against the Habs?

COACHES

Dan Bylsma put his stones on the table with swapping out Fleury for Vokoun, and one imagines he’ll have another decision. He’s a steadying presence on the bench and a good tactician.

Paul MacLean, a.k.a. “bug-eyed fat walrus”, has become a cult icon in Ottawa and rightfully so: His personality is as captivating as his coaching, and MacLean is proving to be one hell of a head coach.

Advantage: Even

SPECIAL TEAMS

Pittsburgh’s power play (33.3 percent) was the best in the first round; Ottawa’s (24 percent) ranked fifth. The Penguins’ penalty kill (90 percent) ranked third, while the Senators’ (84.2 percent) was eighth. Overall, Pittsburgh has a more lethal special teams unit

Advantage: Penguins

FIGHT WE'D LIKE TO SEE

Could it be anything else? Matt Cooke vs. Chris Neil:

PREDICTIONS

Penguins in 6. Expect a hard-fought series and Anderson to steal a game (or two), but this Penguins team needed a scare and got one in the first round. Now, Sid and the boys will get down to business in Round 2.

Remember when Jason Spezza, Milan Michalek, Erik Karlsson and Craig Anderson were all injured on February 22 and we were "done"?

That was the question posed by the Ottawa Senators' official Twitter account Thursday after the club took care of business, finishing off the Montreal Canadiens with a blowout 6-1 victory in Game 5.

It was a question the Senators earned, but it was also a bit of a twisted knife. After all, the Montreal Canadiens simply weren't the same team after their injuries, with Carey Price and Brian Gionta out of the lineup. But how can you point to a banged-up group when the team that knocked you off was written off for the same reason three months ago?

In the end, it wasn't even close. The Canadiens came out like a team playing for their lives (which probably makes sense), and they nearly got an early one, but Craig Anderson robbed Rene Bourque to keep the game scoreless. A few moments later, still just two minutes into the game, Peter Budaj couldn't return the favour, and the Senators were off to the races.

That's a rebound the Canadiens needed Budaj to not give up. But he couldn't hold onto it, and Zack Smith gave the Senators took the lead. It took the air out of the building. It never really returned.

The Senators just kept coming. The game-winning goal, scored by Cory Conacher (who added a second in the final frame), came just 10 minutes later.

Again, you could probably fault Peter Budaj for losing the puck.

Budaj is going to be the chèvre in Montreal after his brief performance in relief in Game 4 and his spotty goaltending in Game 5. But he wasn't the reason the Canadiens lost this series.

The Senators were. They outscored Montreal 20-9 in the five games. They were lethal. In the third period, they made that abundantly clear, putting the boots to the Canadiens by scoring on three straight powerplay opportunities to ice the win.

And with that, it was time for the handshake line.

The Senators now await their next opponent. One more win from the Penguins and it'll be them. While they're resting up, now might be a good time for Eugene Melnyk to finish up that forensic investigation.

Few were expecting an all-Canadian first-round matchup, especially in the East, where the notion that any of Canadian teams were going to start the playoffs on home ice just seemed too far-fetched.

But it happened, thanks to the Montreal Canadiens, one of the 2013 season's biggest surprises. Only the homerest of homers were picking the Habs to win the Northeast division, but after a stunning and immediate resurgence under news head coach Michel Therrien and new general manager Marc Bergevin (and a little help from the Senators in the season's final game), here they are, all bannered and proud.

The Senators were a surprise this year as well, albeit for very different reasons. After misfortune ravaged the room, plucking all their most important pieces from the lineup, it would have been forgivable if they'd dropped out of contention. But instead, they battled all year long, weathered the storm, and now, as they begin to get their guys back at the most important times, they look like one a dangerous seventh seed.

Canadians (and canadiens) rejoice: there will be a team from our home and native land in the second round no matter what. But who will it be?

The Senators goals per game was a terrible 2.33, good for 27th in the league, ahead of only New Jersey, Nashville and Florida. Despite some gaudy possession numbers, they struggled to score goals all season, which is the sort of thing that will happen when the league's best offensive defenceman as well as your most effective duo up front are injured for most of the year. Jason Spezza played just five games this season (and isn't expected to be around for Round 1). Milan Michalek played 23, and was, understandably, a little less offensively punchy without Spezza setting him up.

Michalek will open this series on a line with Cory Conacher, another rookie standout, and Kyle Turris in the middle. The second line consists of Colin Greening, Zack Smith, and the ageless Daniel Alfredsson. More incredible rookies on line 3 as Erik Condra lines up with Mika Zibanejad and Jakob Silfverberg.

And, of course, Chris Neil is on line 4. We'll probably notice him from time to time.

The Canadiens posted a goals per game average of 3.04 in 2012, good for 4th in the entire league. They were just one of seven teams to average over three goals a game. In other words: they're good at this whole scoring thing.

The goals come from all over, too. The Canadiens had 10 players with 20 or more points, but no one with over 40. The goals are spread out as well. Rene Bourque's seven goals placed him eleventh in team scoring. It's an incredibly balanced group.

Bourque, who might have scored more had he not missed 21 games with a concussion, plays on the first line, if you can call it that, with Brian Gionta and Tomas Plekanec. The second line consists of rookie standout Brendan Gallagher, David Desharnais, and Max Pacioretty for some much-needed size.

Meanwhile, Michael Ryder, whose 16 goals this year between Dallas and Montreal made him the highest-scoring player, is on the third line with Lars Eller and another great rookie, Alex Galchenyuk.

The Canadiens come at you in unending waves. It's why they control possession better than almost any other NHL team. They'll be a handful.

ADVANTAGE: Canadiens

Defense

Montreal will miss Alexei Emelin, who was lost for the year to a torn knee ligament, but they've still got a strong top-four. The prize piece: potential Norris trophy winner P.K. Subban, one of hockey's most dynamic young blueliners. He is, in a word, excellent. He finished second in team scoring to Max Pacioretty by one point, and he played six fewer games.

Subban plays on a pairing with Josh Gorges that can shut you down and light you up.

Behind him, Raphael Diaz and Andrei Markov make up pairing number two. Markov had 10 goals this season and is a always a threat to blast one home. Diaz is coming off a concussion, and still re-finding his game. His ability to get up to game speed is crucial.

The Senators are led, as you can probably guess, by Erik Karlsson, the Norris trophy-winning defenceman who changes their attack completely when he's in the lineup. Karlsson's shots per game of 4.6 was tied with Alex Ovechkin for tops in the league, and among defencemen, it wasn't even close. Dustin Byfuglien was second in shots per game by a defenceman with 3.3, and the only other defenceman in the playoffs that averaged 3 shots per game is Montreal's P.K. Subban.

In other words, Karlsson is the key to the Senators attack. His ability to get shots through traffic and give his club rebound opportunities is where this series can be won.

Behind Karlsson is one of the NHL's largest defence corps. No one else on the backend is under six foot. Jared Cowen, Marc Methot, Chris Phillips and Eric Gryba are all 6'3" or larger, and Sergei Gonchar, Ottawa's other offensive engine, is 6'2". It's a massive, mobile group, and if they can keep up with Montreal, the size mismatch could be, well, big.

ADVANTAGE: Senators

Goalies

Craig Anderson's numbers this season were incredible: a GAA of 1.69, a SV% of .941 and 3 shutouts. It might have been a Vezina season for the Senators' backstop if he didn't miss so much of it due to injury. But he's back now, and he certainly showed signs of rounding into form in his final 3 starts, allowing just 2 goals and posting his third shutout of the season.

Carey Price is pretty decent at this whole "getting hit by pucks" thing as well, with a 2.59 save percentage and a goals against average of .905. Those numbers pale in comparison to Anderson, no doubt, but the Canadiens play a much more open style of hockey. I don't think there's any doubting what he can do. Still, Price will be in tough to stop this from being Anderson's year.

ADVANTAGE: Senators

Does Their Season Deserve an Asterisk?

Both these teams have a lot of rookies that might have faded down the stretch, if this season had a stretch. But speaking of stretches, that line of reasoning is one. Some of this year's other surprises have had the look of a paper tiger -- not the Canadiens. And as for the Senators, a longer season would have given them a chance to get healthy.

In short, the shortened season has nothing to do with either team being where they are.

Coaches

Paul Maclean and Michel Therrien are both Jack Adams contenders, in my opinion. They've done incredible work to get the most out of their teams.

If this were a moustache competition, I think we know who would get the edge. Sadly, it is not, so I'm calling it a draw.

ADVANTAGE: Even

Special Teams

Montreal's powerplay was 5th in the NHL at 20.7%. Ottawa's was 20th, at a mediocre 15.9%. Granted, it didn't have Erik Karlsson on it for much of the year, and that matters. Having him firing away changes the dynamic quite a bit. Meanwhile, Ottawa's penalty-kill had a league-best 88% kill rate, which is approaching golden gun territory, and Montreal's was a weak point at 79.8%, good for 23rd.

ADVANTAGE: Senators

Playoff Anthems

EPIC RAP BATTLE!!!!!

YO-YOSHI!!!

VERSUS...

THE JOYNT!!

Prediction

Senators in 7.

This is going to be a tight series and I've gone back and forth on this prediction, but I think it's really going to come down to the Canadiens' forwards versus the Senators' defence, and I think Karlsson will be the difference here. With him in the lineup, the Senators are a completely different team, and by "completely different", I mean "slightly better than Montreal".

Dobber checks in every Thursday to force-feed you the latest fantasy hockey trends. The founder of DobberHockey.com and a columnist for The Hockey News website, he long ago immersed himself into this roller coaster world and is unable to escape.

Well that was fast.

Just four days of regular season hockey left (three if you're not a Boston or Ottawa fan). You know what that means? Playoff pool time!

This weekend, sit back with a bunch of your buddies, draft list in one hand, a beer in the other, and pick your winning team. To help you on your way, I've assembled a little primer for you. We'll tackle the Eastern Conference today, and the West tomorrow.

To get things started, I ran a quick report on Frozen Pool listing the top PP ice time per game among defensemen over the last three weeks. Because everyone knows that playoff scoring revolves around Bryzgalov and Fleury being in the nets the power play.

The Sleepers - Carl Soderberg is seeing plenty of ice time and playing with Jagr. He's been a highly-coveted prospect for close to a decade - when he was drafted in the second round, Dougie Hamilton was celebrating his 11th birthday. Soderberg has played just three games, but has two assists and could have a Ville-Leino-type (circa the Flyers, 2010) of impact.

Rookies to Watch - Soderberg is too old for rookie status, making defensemen Dougie Hamilton and Matt Bartkowski the only rookie regulars. Neither are worth drafting, unless your league is deep and you have several Bruins already - then Hamilton is worth grabbing in the final round.

Don't Overrate - Hamilton has been a healthy scratch in three of his last six games. Most rookies are hard to trust in a playoff draft, because the coach tends to keep a tight leash on them. Just nine rookies in the last two postseasons have tallied more than five points…

Also Milan Lucic. Big, bad Bruin has a reputation for playing a 'playoff' type of game. But pools don't give points for reputation, or player types. They give points for goals and assists. And Looch hasn't been getting many of them - just 15 points in his last 32 playoff contests.

The Sleepers - Lars Eller has improved dramatically, in each of his three seasons in the NHL. Although his playoff experience is limited, he has plenty of experience on the world stage…

Raphael Diaz is going to slip through the draft unnoticed due to his point total, which is low because of the games missed with a concussion. If you need a defenseman in the late rounds, he's your guy.

Rookies to Watch - Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher are key reasons why the Habs are even in this position. Adding a pair of young, energetic 50-point (pro-rated) players does wonders for a team. Galchenyuk has 10 points in his last 11 games and is the No.4 player on this team I would draft (after Pacioretty, Subban and Ryder)…

Gallagher is worth drafting, if you like the Habs to go deep, but he's certainly not a high pick. He has slowed down, with just four points in his last 11 games.

Don't Overrate - Rene Bourque has two points in his eight games since returning from a concussion…

Markov has just 18 points in 49 career playoff games. He also has just three points in his last 11 games.

And it's no coincidence that his linemate Kyle Okposo is similarly on fire. He also has 14 in 18…

Rookies to Watch - Anders Lee saw nine minutes in his first career game on April 2. Then he was scratched. Four days later, he got into his second career NHL game and played just under seven minutes, but added an assist. He's been a healthy scratch ever since. That'll teach him for being productive…

Casey Cizikas has been a real solid checking-line player. Not worth drafting, though.

Don't Overrate - Boyes has been shut out of 10 of the last 14 games, dating back to March 26. He has four playoff points in his career, in 11 games…

The Sleepers - Mats Zuccarello I was brought back to help the scoring and after an initial awkward moment while the team tried to get rid of Gaborik adjustment, Zuccarello has flourished. Not only does he have five points in his last five games, but he's also sparked Brad Richards…

Ryane Clowe was acquired from the Sharks and has eight points, is plus-6 with 14 PIM in 11 games. Now that's the Clowe we know and love. But casual hockey fan at the office looking at his stats sheet will see the 19 points in 39 games on the season. Of course, if everyone in your pool knows their hockey, then just ignore this little blurb.

Rookies to Watch - If you reeeeally like the Rangers to go deep, Chris Kreider is your best rookie option. He's had a tough year, not just with New York but with Connecticut as well. But he has the size, skill and tenacity to flourish in the postseason - as we saw last year with his seven points in 18 games…

The only other rookie of note is J.T. Miller, who is back with Connecticut once the Rangers added the forwards they did at the deadline.

Don't Overrate - Carl Hagelin disappeared around this time last year. This happened because Kreider joined the team. Since the trade deadline, Hagelin has four points in 11 games. It seems as though anytime the Rangers add a forward or two, Hagelin's production suffers.

The Sleepers - Depending on your competition, Karlsson is either 'obvious' or a 'sleeper'. He is ready return tonight from the injury to his Achilles tendon, yet his 10 points on the season keeps him low on the stats sheet…

For the same reason (low regular season point total due to injury), consider Milan Michalek. Now healthy, Michalek will get you seven or eight points if the Senators play 10 or 11 playoff games.

Rookies to Watch - Cory Conacher is tied for the rookie lead in scoring with 28 points and has four points in nine games since joining the Senators. Modest numbers, both. More on him later…

Jakob Silfverberg is a bit of a 'boom or bust' pick for this year. His production has really fallen off since Michalek's return, but that could just be your run-of-the-mill cold streak. Unless Ottawa is a key team you're banking on. But besides the six points in his first 24 games and his one point in his last seven, he has 11 in 14. That's where the 'boom' in the statement 'boom or bust' comes into play…

Mika Zibanejad also has just one point in his last seven games, but with Jason Spezza missing at least the first round (likely two rounds or more), Zibanejad will be leaned on for secondary offense with little risk of taking a hit in his ice time…

Defenseman Patrick Wiercioch is another risky rookie to consider. His production took off once Karlsson was injured, and he has 15 points in his last 28 games. With Karlsson back, there is some concern over the impact on Wiercioch's numbers.

Don't Overrate - As noted, Conacher has just four points in nine games since joining the team. But what's concerning the most is the fact that he averaged about 15 of ice time per game in his first four games with the team - but then about 12 minutes per game in the last five. He often saw 17 or more with Tampa…

Old man Gonchar (and I say this ignoring the fact that I was born 11 days before him) has just three points in his last 13 games. With Karlsson back, if Paul MacLean elects to continue giving Wiercioch power play time, Gonchar's numbers will suffer…

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Obvious - Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, James Neal, Kris Letang, Jarome Iginla, (types furiously for another five minutes), that drunk guy in the seventh row who takes off his shirt and starts dancing midway through the second period, the red light operator, (more typing), the guy shouting "Programs, Here!", the person running the refreshment stand in section C, etc, etc…

The Sleepers - Come on. It's the Penguins. They'll all be picked by the time you decide which chair you'll sit on for the draft. If you really want a name - Matt Cooke has 10 points in his last 19 playoff games.

Rookies to Watch - Beau Bennett is a great prospect and on 20 other teams we'd be including him in the Calder conversation. And 10 of his 14 points have come without Crosby or Malkin on the ice with him. Take a look, courtesy of Frozen Pool:

But with everybody healthy, Bennett is destined for the press box.

Don't Overrate - Although Jussi Jokinen has eight points in eight games since joining the Penguins, he has been held scoreless in four of his last five. With the injured Penguins filing back into the lineup, I have concerns over Jokinen's role.

The Sleepers - With 10 goals in 13 games for the Marlies last year in the postseason, it only serves to reinforce Matt Frattin's reputation as a gamer. He carries a risk, having been scratched from six of the last nine games - but he tends to score when it truly counts and once he starts doing that, it will be tough to keep him out of the lineup. Should only be considered for the last round, if you like the Leafs to go deep.

Rookies to Watch - The only rookie in the regular lineup is Leo Komarov. And although his style of hockey is suited for the postseason, even increased production won't justify a draft pick.

Don't Overrate - I hate putting this name here, because I'm a fan. But Kadri has just three points in his last 10 games. With the added attention he's garnered late in the season, he will struggle to put up a point-per-game in the second season.

The Sleepers - Green is going to be underrated in your draft, in all likelihood. But with Ovechkin - the real Ovechkin - clearly back in fine form, Green's numbers have popped as well. To the tune of 14 points in his last 13 games…

Marcus Johansson has 20 points in his last 23 games and is often the third member of the Backstrom-Ovechkin line…

From the pages of 'Where the Hell Did This Guy Come From?' (a novel by John Druce) is defenseman Jack Hillen. The former Colorado College star has eight points in his last eight games and is worth a flier in the late rounds.

Rookies to Watch - Defenseman Steven Oleksy made a quick impact on the scoresheet after being called up for the first time, but as the adrenalin wore so did the offense. Any fantasy value lies only in his plus/minus, hits and penalty minutes.

Don't Overrate - Erat was often the best offensive forward in Nashville. To get that same title in Washington, about six or seven players need to collide at center ice during practice and get helped off.

The Sleepers - Grant Clitsome has 14 points in his last 30 games. He started off slowly because Tobias Enstrom was in the lineup. Then when Enstrom was hurt, the Jets tried out Paul Postma and Zach Redmond, as well as Clitsome. Eventually, Clitsome worked his way ahead of the other two (thanks in part to Redmond getting hurt as well)…

Nik Antropov has 11 points in his last 16 games, but unless the competitors in your draft have already taken six other Jets, there's really no point in looking here. So yeah, this blurb is really just for poolies living in Winnipeg.

Rookies to Watch - Paul Postma has had his moments, but really this season has been about his getting used to the higher level of hockey. He'll be a healthy scratch as often as not…

Zach Redmond was humming along with four points in his first eight games before suffering a serious cut on his leg. Now ready to return, the Jets are just waiting for a chance to put him in. Too risky to draft.

Don't Overrate - Tobias Enstrom's back injury has him listed as "week to week". That's generally a bad sign…

I wish I could pull any portion of Olli Jokinen's season and point it in a positive light. But there's really nothing. He's minus-19 and his point total is abysmal. Don't be fooled by the Jokinen name that once posted 91 points.

For more fantasy hockey tips, take a gander at DobberHockey. And while you’re at it, follow Dobber’s fantasy hockey musings on Twitter.

]]>Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:10:34 PDTDobber HockeynhlPuck Daddyurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,c9cb9792-4b57-3547-920e-40b07d58e1ea-l:1Who are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for your NHL team? (Eastern Conference)http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-nhl-team-eastern-conference-155031484--nhl.html
The stoic leader. The party boy. The thinker. The hot head. These personality arch-types can be found in any group dynamic, whether it’s four lads from Liverpool or inside an NHL dressing room.

Leonardo (blue mask): The measured, valiant leader of the group. Strong and fearless.

Donatello (purple mask): The scientist who prefers to use intellect rather than his bo staff to solve conflicts. A bit shy.

Michelangelo (orange mask): The pizza-gobbling free spirit of the group whose “Cowabunga” launched a million T-shirts.

Raphael (red mask): The temperamental bad boy of the group. And he speaks with a New York accent!

On a recent Marek Vs. Wyshynski podcast, there was a spontaneous discussion about the TMNT template being applied to NHL teams. For example, we all know Jonathan Toews is the Leonardo and Patrick Kane is the Michelangelo of the Chicago Blackhawks – but who is their Raphael?

We asked the Puck Daddy readership to check in with their choices for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles proxies for all 30 NHL teams. Here are the Eastern Conference choices for hockey heroes on a half shell. The West will follow on Wednesday.

We received more submissions for some teams than others, so we’ve limited the entries to two for each team. Enjoy, dudes:

Boston Bruins

Leonardo: Zdeno Chara

Donatello: Patrice Bergeron

Michelangelo: Brad Marchand - I mean, really. No other player in the NHL can even come close.

Raphael: Shawn Thornton

- Andrine Belliveau

Buffalo Sabres

Leonardo:Thomas Vanek. Wikipedia: “Leonardo is depicted as the eldest brother and the calmest of the four. Throughout the various media, he is depicted as the leader of the four turtles and the most disciplined.” Coincidentally, TV is my favorite Sabre and Leonardo was my favorite turtle.

Donatello: Ryan Miller. Wikipedia: “In all media, he is depicted as the most intelligent of the four turtles, often speaking in technobabble with a natural aptitude for science and technology.” Yup.

Michelangelo:Steve Ott. Do I even have to? Wikipedia:” In the original comic books, Michelangelo was initially depicted as fun-loving, carefree, and, while not as aggressive as Raphael, always ready to fight…most of the traits that have become synonymous with the character, such as his playfulness, empathy, and easygoing nature.

Raphael: Patrick Kaleta. Wikipedia: “He is generally the most likely to experience extremes of emotion, and is usually depicted as being aggressive, sullen, maddened, and rebellious.” That about sums it up.

Baxter Stockman: Brad Marchand. He created the Mousers to kill rats, Brad Marchand looks and acts like a rat.

Shredder: Daniel Alfredsson. A compliment really, he tends to shred the Sabres D.

Krang: Gary Bettman. An evil brain that tries to take over Earth. Pretty close.

- Jim Durolek

Leonardo: Thomas Vanek. Easily the most skilled, But also the one that tends to disappear in entire episodes leaving the rest of the team to try and figure it out on their own.

Donatello: Ryan Miller. The elder Statesmen, The smart intellectual force on the team who's unafraid to say it like it is, but in ways you may not understand because you're not on his level. Also he loves the color Purple.

Michelangelo: I had a toss up between Steve Ott, for being a party dude on the ice, and Drew Stafford for being a party dude off the ice. I'm going to lean towards Steve Ott though because Michaelangelo actually helped the team where as Stafford isn't even sure he's playing hockey during a game.

Raphael: Patrick Kaleta, He gets angry, everyone blames him for everything whether it's his fault or not and he tends to run around on his own and get into trouble with the Shanabanner (Master Splinter).

- Gregory Kashmanian

Montreal Canadiens

Leonardo: Brian Gionta (Leader = Captain)

Donatello: Carey Price (Very Analytical approach to goaltending, Uses his brain power to keep calm and get the job done)

Michelangelo: P.K. Subban (Looks good in Orange and a Party Dude)

Raphael: Brandon Prust (Angry, Cool but Rude)

- Tony Healey, Jr.

Leonardo: Brian Gionta leads the pack.

Donatello: The brains of the operation is Harvard alum Donatello Louis Leblanc, missing right now in the AHL dungeon.

Michelangelo: Colby Armstrong and there is no way you can convince me otherwise.

Raphael: Of course there's PK "Raphael" Subban; the coolest one

Michael Therrien is Splinter, while the Shredder is of course Pierre Gauthier

Donatello: Erik Karlsson - Smartest guy on the ice. I mean, he'd have to be to invent whatever it is that lets him come back 2 months after severing his Achilles (Time machine, robotic tendon, cloning, etc).

Michelangelo: Matt Kassian - From his twitter feed, acts like a fun-loving goofball. Seems like he'd enjoy wacky pizza toppings. Pretty sure he yells Cowabunga when he drops the gloves with someone.

Raphael: Chris Neil - Kind of a jerk, but most people like him anyway (at least in Ottawa). Kind of a hot-head and goes off to do his own thing (and get into trouble) at times.

Splinter: Daniel Alfredsson - Wise old player, taught the young'uns in the ways of Hockey. When the going gets tough, they all look to him to guide them and kick ass.

- Murray Robb

Toronto Maple Leafs

Leonardo: Gonna have to go with Dion Phaneuf for Leo. He's older than many of his teammates and despite his haters, I'd say he still qualifies as a decent leader.

Donatello: I wish I could say Carlyle fits here because he 'uses his knowledge' to solve conflicts. But I'm still not sure how I feel about him. Can't say Grabo because, well, he bit someone. My final answer is Jake Gardiner because he doesn't particularly like to play physical - see 4 hits in 8 GP - which is, I imagine, partly why the "I <3 goon coach" has him in the press box.

Michelangelo: Absolutely Nazem Kadri. Obviously all he did over the summer was eat pizza and relax based on the reports from the Marlies. Oh and I think he just had his 17th birthday.

Leonardo: Marty Brodeur - old, steady, old, lead by example type that isn't overtly outspoken. Also old. Probably at this point a little underrated for what he can do because he's been wielding that katana for so long.

Donatello: Patrik Elias - Wiley and cagey. Seems like more of a pacifist who just happens to be involved in violent activities. Better in a supporting role than wearing the 'C.' For some reason I can see him wielding a bow staff in real life for no apparent reason.

Michelangelo: Stefan Matteau - young, brash, has the tools just needs the maturity.

Raphael: David Clarkson - Fiery, some times (read: most times) to his own detriment. Frustrating when pride seems to get in his way and he doesn't see the big picture. Also, whether it's April or every post pubescent female devils fan (all 14 by my last count), seems to be one with the ladies.

And I would love to end by comparing Lou to Splinter as the wise sage whose wisdom you don't really understand until it becomes abundantly clear on its own, but who are we kidding, he's more of a Krang.

- Colin Rafter

New York Islanders

Leonardo: John Tavares

Donatello: Evgeni Nabakov

Michelangelo: Matty Moulson

Rafael: Matt Martin

- Patrick W. Lehmann

Leonardo: John Tavares

Donatello: Kyle Okposo

Michelangelo: Casey Cizikas

Raphael: Matt Martin

- Steve Zee

New York Rangers

Leonardo: Ryan Callahan, fearless leaders. seems to always wanna motivate the other guys and keep moral up. the very idea of leading by example.

Donatello: Dan Girardi…usually the quiet thinker, Girardi seems to quietly be amazing as one of the top D-men in the league. Donatello depicted as the problem solver, just watch Girardi on the PK blocking shots.

Michelangelo: Carl Hagelin or Michael Del Zotto, seemingly young and carefree. Can imagine either of them going around consistently saying "cowabunga" and eating pizza.

Raphael: Ryane Clowe or Arron Asham … trying to be the little bad-ass with an attitude, had this been last year hands down it would be Prust. I also think back to the Ninja Turtles movie from 1990 and recall Raph being in a tub, lethargic from like half the movie and that just seems to remind me of Richards this season. Also Brian Boyle wishes at this point he was the bad-ass, but the sleeping issues are the least of his issues the season.

- Leigh Cuomo

Philadelphia Flyers

Leonardo: That’s a hard one, because he’s the leader. Uh…geez...let’s
just say Claude Giroux and move on to the next question.

Donatello: Ilya Bryzgalov as is obviously, because Donatello appreciated the
huMANgusness of the universe

Raphael: Zac Rinaldo is because he likes to punch things. See also: Wayne Simmonds. See also: Jay Rosehill. Really, just pick whoever isn’t so beat up that they can still skate.

Bonus players:

Kimmo Timonen as Vanilla Ice singing The Ninja Rap.
Casey Jones: Mike Richards. [insert bitter memories of better times here].
Sarah Baicker is The Flying Mutant Ninja Turtles’ version April.
O’Neil. There’s no room for discussion on this.
Splinter: Position vacant. Applicants welcome.
The Foot Clan: The Penguins. Or the Bruins. Or the Rangers. Or all of the above.
Shredder: Dan Bylsma. Or Claude Julien. Or John Tortorella. Or all of
the above.

- Alli Jessing

Pittsburgh Penguins

Leonardo: This is clearly Sidney Crosby. He's the undisputed leader of the crew and by far the most disciplined. He doesn't like taking credit as leader and he's the calmest of the four. Give Crosby a blue mask and that's pretty much him. Except, without, you know, the ooze turning him into a mutant thing.

Donatello: As the brainy one of the group, this clearly has to go to Harvard grad Craig Adams. Ever see shots of them on the plane? The rest of the guys are playing video games; Adams is reading some sort of novel about the current socio-political climate or econ.

Michelangelo: Definitely the most carefree and fun-loving turtle of the group. He's playful and easygoing and once stopped a bunch of thieves from stealing the toys of orphaned children. This has to go to Marc-Andre Fleury. Besides, how amazing would it be to hear him attempt to say "Cowabunga!" in his Franglish gibberish?

Raphael: Evgeni Malkin. Raphael is the hotter-headed younger brother of Leonardo and often depicted as moody, emotional, and by far more hot-tempered than his more even-keeled older sibling, though they are equally talented in their art. How well does this describe Malkin, who has prodigious talent but is definitely prone to letting his emotions get the better of him on the ice?

- Alisha Grauso

Leonardo: Leo is the eldest of his peers, is an incredible student and is very well-educated. Takes instruction better than any other member of the team. A leader that commands respect, but does it honorably, and never casts a bad light on the group. Lives the right way and keeps himself on the straight-and-narrow as a leader. He is: Craig Adams.

Donatello: Has vision and intelligence for the objective at hand that nobody on his team, or possibly nobody in the world possesses. He sees angles and solutions nobody else can see. He's soft-spoken, but leads by example. He can use his bow/stick unlike anyone else, inflicting damage to the opposition in any number of directions, positions, and angles. A thinking man's favorite, but gets down and dirty in the muck with the best of them. He is: Sidney Crosby

Michelangelo: Goofy, fun-loving, always with a smile, Michelangelo is among the same age as the group, but always looks and acts like a kid. Distinct, endearing accent. Never gets too low, no matter the circumstances, and boosts morale of his teammates. Let's stuff roll off his shoulders. Often carries many boxes of pizza. He is: Marc-Andre Fleury.

Raphael: Sullen and moody but an incredible warrior that will give his all and his entire body to the cause. Makes rash decisions that either end incredibly or awfully with seldom middle ground. A fiery presence that can usually be found in the middle of a scrum. Almost never cracks a smile, yet many females tend to like that about him, I've found. He is: Kris Letang.

And as a bonus, Master Splinter, is, of course, 66. And April O'Neil is Dan Potash.

- Luke Irwin

Carolina Hurricanes

Leonardo: Leonardo is a natural leader. He is brave and strategic. So, yeah…we don't have anyone to fit that role in Carolina.

Donatello: Jay Harrison is often cited for being the team genius, so he is a natural fit for Donatello.

Michelangelo: There is no one better to play Michelangelo than Canes’ own comedian, Chad LaRose. Forever young and personable.

Raphael: The brooding and surly Tim Gleason fits the fierce and sarcastic nature of Raphael.

- Kristina Kelly

Leonardo: Eric Staal - Obvious leader and emotional too (see stupid stupid end of game penalties, his freakish screams when scoring goals, etc) Imagine the moment when Leonardo talks to Splinter's flame spirit. Only E. Staal could be in that scene from the 'Canes.

Donatello: Riley Nash(Previously Brandon Sutter). With the departure of Sutter, Nash is my pick for the smartest/headiest player on the team now. He transitioned to the team very well out of Charlotte and looks to stick on the roster starting with next season. This was my hardest pick, as the 'Canes no longer have a super hockey smart player in my opinion anymore (excluding Semin).

Michelangelo: Jeff Skinner. I'd be pretty awesome to imagine Skinner as the most party-ready Turtle, especially with his epic hairstyle that he started the season with. With the teenie-bopper like following he has around here, he'd be all about the girls and pizza. (Hey! Its the Babe from the News!)

Raphael: Alex Semin. He pretty much lines up exactly with Raphael from the movie - sort of quiet and to himself yet has amazing talent and skill when he wants to apply it.

Bonus!

Splinter: Rod Brind'amor.He's the bad-ass teacher of the team now. He has some supreme skills, but now he's become older and less mobile. Even though he's Rod the Bod he needed that stick to be his cane to get around the ice at the end of this career.

Casey Jones: Tim Gleason.He just seems to fit the character to me, with the more literal physical instead of skilled playing style. More Brutal than the turtles, with more grit to his battles.

-- Matthew Kuekes

Florida Panthers

Leonardo: Tomas Kopecky

Donatello: Brian Campbell

Michelangelo: Kris Versteeg

Raphael: Erik Gudbranson

- Paige

Tampa Bay Lightning

Leonardo: Vinny Lecavalier as the leader of the bunch.

Donatello: Used his staff as a weapon much like Steven Stamkos.

Michelangelo: Was a big goofball as is Teddy Purcell. I had the opportunity to meet Teddy a few days ago and asked him to clear up the pronunciation of his name (per-suhl vs per-cell) and he replied "It's per-suhl and my mom gets really mad when people get that wrong."

Raphael: Was a sarcastic wise-guy with a bit of a mean streak in him at times. Easily fits as Bugsy Malone although Bugsy isn't as "dark".

Raphael: Aggressive nature? Check. Not afraid to throw the first punch? Check. Kane goes harder than any Jet, and seems to like the bad boy image. Hangs out with Mayweather and Lil Wayne ya know (I guess).

We can't forget about Master Splinter.

Claude Noel is the Jets Splinter. Noel always has a few gems full of wisdom and insight stated simply at his press conferences. Adopted father of these former Thrashers.

- Dan McArthur

Leonardo: Andrew Ladd - Look at this Tuesday's game against Tampa Bay. Look at his stats this season. Leads on the ice. Leads off the ice, in the dressing room and in the community. Loved by all of Winnipeg. Wears blue.

Donatello: Kyle Wellwood - My section had previously dubbed him "The Professor", AKA "The Dad" of the team. Seems like the most likely guy on the team to be into science and technology, and looks the part - has been seen wearing a dapper (suede?) jacket with elbow patches for one of the in-game charity video montages. Also, Donatello is described on Wikipedia as "the least violent turtle, preferring to use his knowledge to solve conflicts". The only check I've seen him throw this season was when he dodged out of the way of someone aiming for a bodycheck on him... into someone else.

Anderson appears to have re-found his game. The Senators netminder was fully on top of it in his club's 2-0 win over the New Jersey Devils, making 33 saves for his third shutout of the season. Here's his best save:

No. 2 Star: Alex Chiasson, Dallas Stars

The Stars won their fourth straight, 5-2 over the Nashville Predators. The rookie Chiasson led the way with a two-goal performance. He now has 5 goals in 5 NHL games, which is pretty all right. Vernon Fiddler and Ray Whitney also had two-point nights.

No. 3 Star: Cam Atkinson, Columbus Blue Jackets

The tiny forward came up big versus the St. Louis Blues, scoring the Jackets' first goal and adding an assist on their second, the eventual game-winner in a game that ended 4-1. With the win and a Red Wings loss, Columbus moved within a point of the eighth spot.

Honourable mention: Milan Michalek scored in his first game back for the Senators... Goal of the night award goes to Marian Gaborik, who chugged into the Blues zone to tip this Mark Letestu pass out of mid-air:

... Jonathan Toews scored his 20th of the season with three minutes remaining to tie things up between the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks. Brandon Saad won it for Chicago, 3-2, in a shootout... Mark Giordano scored the overtime winner as the Calgary Flames edged the Phoenix Coyotes, 3-2.

Dishonourable mention: The Devils have now lost 9 straight, and what's worse, Martin Brodeur has been stuck on a devilish 666 career wins for 9 games. Is this a curse? It certainly seems curse-esque... Rough night for Chris Mason, who showed why Pekka Rinne gets all the action in Nashville by allowing 5 goals on 18 shots in a rare start.

• Braden Holtby isn’t happy with the Washington Capitals’ intensity, and hopes Brooks Laich increases it: “The main part, hopefully, it helps our intensity. We haven’t been even close to intense enough this year,” goaltender Braden Holtby said when asked about the impact of Laich’s return. “And a guy like him, he brings it every day and I hope he can be a big leader on this team because right now we need it.” [Washington Post]

• No Evgeni Malkin or Kris Letang against the Capitals tonight for the Pittsburgh Penguins. [CP]

• Rory Boylen on Corey Perry's contract and the Ducks as contenders: "But are they really a top team or are they not quite as they appear? Granted, the Ducks have a fair amount of star power, but it’s all up front with lingering concerns on defense and around consistency in the crease. While the Ducks are a playoff team and a tough squad to deal with, their .727 winning percentage when trailing after one period and .667 percentage when trailing after two screams of a second half decline. And considering they were a bottom-rung lottery team a year ago, you still have to question where they truly sit in the NHL hierarchy." [THN]

• What does Perry’s contract mean for Evgeni Malkin’s next deal? “At the end of the day, the choice is Malkin’s. When you have a superstar in his prime, he calls the shots on the contract. He did last time when he signed the identical second contract as Crosby did ($8.7 million for five years) and he will hold the cards this time too. Given that Malkin can’t sign the same contract that Crosby can under the new CBA, Malkin definitely deserves to have a higher cap hit, to get his fair share of the money he’s earned.” [Pensburgh]

• The Ottawa Senators will be without Milan Michalek for a while after knee surgery. [Rotowire]

• After a scary scene, Patrick Eaves is only day-to-day for the Detroit Red Wings. [Malik Report]

• Catching up with draft bust Huge Speciman: “I think me getting to Nashville, getting to Milwaukee (AHL) was a great opportunity for me. It didn’t maybe pan out in Nashville, but at the end of the road to the NHL, when I finally got there with Florida, I realized how valuable it was getting out of New York.” [NY Hockey Journal]

• The AHL handed out suspensions for that “Brawl on the Bench” between Chicago and Rockford. [Hockey Fights]

• Finally, Ducks fans have been asking if this Joe Thornton “head shot” should get him suspended. Frankly we’re not sure it’s a head shot, but take a gander:

]]>Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:07:22 PDTGreg WyshynskinhlPuck Daddyurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,e748c010-138c-343f-be78-0574842e4826-l:1Homecomings for Tootoo, Prust; Vancouver vs. Chicago (Puck Previews)http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/homecomings-tootoo-prust-vancouver-vs-chicago-puck-previews-231316157--nhl.html
Back by popular demand, here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished.

Look, we’re not looking to be mean to the Florida Panthers. We’re just wondering what this “Harlem Shake” would look like without the Leafs fans filling the seats.

Preview:Toronto Maple Leafs at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7:30 p.m. ET. The Leafs are on an historic pace for road success at the moment. From the Sun: “When did they most recently have eight wins in their first 10 road games? You have to go all the way back to 1934-35, when they were 8-1-1 in their initial 10 games away from Toronto.” Ben Scrivens gets the call.

Preview: Winnipeg Jets at Buffalo Sabres, 7 p.m. ET. Thus begins a critical five-game road trip for the Jets. The Sabres are struggling a bit on the power play, to the tune of “2 for 34 in nine games this month.”

Preview: New York Islanders at Ottawa Senators, 7:30 p.m. ET. No Milan Michalek again for the Sens, who is still out with a bum knee. But more importantly … WE HAVE A RICK DIPIETRO SIGHTING!

Preview: Montreal Canadiens at New York Rangers, 7 p.m. ET. Brandon Prust faces his former mates. Said Ryan Callahan: “He’s a good player with high energy who takes the body. he was great for us when he was here. He did a lot of things for us and I’ve got nothing but respect for him. It’ll be fun to play against him.”

Preview: Detroit Red Wings at Nashville Predators, 8 p.m. ET. Detroit’s first game against the Preds since Nashville eliminated them from the playoffs last postseason. Jordin Tootoo plays his first game against the Predators, and he’s ready to bring it.

Preview: Vancouver Canucks at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m. ET. Read our preview of this one here, as the Blackhawks go for a share of the NHL record for most games without a loss to start the season and the Canucks attempt to spoil it.

Preview: Los Angeles Kings at Edmonton Oilers, 10 p.m. ET. Nikolai Khabibulin gets the start for the Oilers against a Kings team that’s 1-5-2 when scoring two or fewer goals this season.

Tavares was the difference in a 5-1 defeat over the New Jersey Devils. Seriously. he had 4 points, and 4 which is the difference between 5 and 1. It's basic math. Tavares took over this game in the second period, scoring 2 of his 3 goals and adding an assist on a Matt Moulson goal. Moulson also had a 4-point night, finding himself in on every Tavares scoring play, as you might expect.

No. 2 Star: Ben Scrivens, Toronto Maple Leafs

Missing Jason Spezza, Milan Michalek, and Erik Karlsson, the Ottawa Senators still put in a valiant effort versus the Leafs, firing 34 shots on Scrivens. But Scrivens wouldn't be beat. He stopped them all for the first NHL shutout of his career in a 3-0 triumph.

No. 3 Star: Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning

Benoit Pouliot played the hero, scoring the overtime goal in a 6-5 win over the Florida Panthers, but it was Stamkos that put this game into extra time, scoring a beautiful one-timer to cut the Panthers' lead in half midway through the third, then making this gorgeous, no-look pass to Teddy Purcell for the game-tying goal with 11 seconds remaining in regulation:

Stamkos finished with 2 goals an an assist in the game. Teddy Purcell also had a 3-point night.

Honourable mention: Rookie Brendan Gallagher had a great night for the Montreal Canadiens, with a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Pretty move for the goal, too, as he pulls the puck back unexpectedly on Kimmo Timonen then fires it through his legs:

... Martin Hanzal gave the Phoenix Coyotes their final 2 goals in a 5-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Keith Yandle had 3 assists... Shea Weber scored his 1st of the season for the Nashville Predators in a loss 3-2 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Viktor Fasth made 32 saves to move to 8-0-0 to start his career (and 4-0 in shotoouts) and Patrick Maroon scored his first NHL goal for the Ducks in the win... In a remarkable comeback win versus the Avalanche, the Edmonton Oilers broke a franchise record for shots in a game with 56. It was set in 1986. Edmonton trailed this game 4-1 at one point. Thanks in no small way to Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall, who each had 3-point nights, and Ales Hemsky, who scored Saturday's prettiest goal, they won 6-4. Here's Hemsky:

Did you know? Steven Stamkos has scored a goal in 7 straight games versus the Florida Panthers. The last guy to do that was Mario Lemieux.

Dishonourable mention: The Panthers lost their third straight in overtime, after giving up a late, game-tying goal for the second straight game... Colton Orr had 12:51 in Toronto, which would be insanely ridiculous if the Leafs hadn't won. But they did, so it's just regular ridiculous... P.J. Stock's collar looked silly... Andrew Cogliano had his stick snap in half on his shootout attempt in Nashville, which is pretty much the worst... Seriously, Colorado? 56 shots?

The Senators tried to patch the hole up front vs. the Habs by starting centre Kyle Turris with Milan Michalek and Daniel Alfredsson. The players have been in this situation before and know they have to get the job done without Spezza.

"It's a big void out there. (Spezza) plays a lot of minutes for us and he's big on the faceoffs," said Senators winger Chris Neil. "But it's another opportunity for other guys to step up. It makes us more of a four-line team. "We can roll all four lines, and we've got the confidence to put our third or fourth line out against their top two lines and get the job done. It has to be a group effort."

Obviously, it also helps that Craig Anderson has been lights-out.

Something watch: The Ottawa power play, which is seventh in the NHL at 29.2 percent. Spezza had 10 power-play goals and 24 points on the man advantage last season.

]]>Thu, 31 Jan 2013 08:45:37 PSTGreg WyshynskinhlPuck Daddyurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,5b7817fa-8659-3f96-ab5f-5bc4c5f43fad-l:1Milan Michalek shoves goalie, sparks line brawl, gets body-slammed in Czech League (VIDEO)http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/milan-michalek-shoves-goalie-sparks-line-brawl-gets-155739041--nhl.html
Milan Michalek of the Ottawa Senators is playing for Ceske Budejovice in the Czech league during the NHL lockout, and apparently hasn't lost his flair for the controversial around the opposing crease.

In a game against Energie Karlovy Varyon on Sunday, Michalek gave goalie Tomáš Závorka a shove in the back of the head after he covered the puck. That sparked a brief line brawl between the teams while David Zucker (no relation) attempted to avenge his netminder in a mismatched fight. Here's how that played out:

Michalek, wearing No. 69 (it's hilarious) had the size advantage (6-2 to 5-9) and nearly took Zucker's head off with a haymaker. But Zucker ended the brawl with a power slam executed with a Randy Orton-esque velocity. Michalek earned 16 minutes in penalties for the game. KVA defeated CEB, 8-0.

(UPDATE: Good catch by Trevor Mahoney, as it appears around 27 seconds in that Michalek attempts to hit Zucker with his own helmet. Which is awesome.)

I did not want to fight with him. I just wanted to push him away from our goalkeeper. Unnecessarily removed his mask. I tried to remove it so I can not take off the gloves. I did not get a game misconduct penalty. But he removed it and if it is higher, so I had to get under it. I did not get a shot. So I avoided him and pulled him to the ground.

Feisty one around the crease, that Michalek. Please recall his skate-kick on New York Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, for which he received a stern warning from the NHL.

]]>Mon, 26 Nov 2012 07:57:39 PSTGreg WyshynskinhlPuck Daddyurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,e8ac8cdd-978b-3243-ae51-a41af59c60c3-l:1What We Learned: Exactly how mad are NHL fans about this lockout?http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/learned-exactly-mad-nhl-fans-lockout-133720243--nhl.html
Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend's events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it.

That seems like it's something worth exploring. This is, after all, the second lockout in recent memory for the NHL, and the first to take place under the new internet reign of Social Media. Obviously the NFL and NBA went through their own lockouts of varying brevity last year, but the vitriol about them that swirled online was nothing compared to what's constantly being hurled at both the NHL and NHLPA.

The NFL, to its credit, was smart enough to get its issues worked out before anyone missed a single game, and the NBA put a torch to the first month or so of the season.

For comparison, people were mad last time the NHL was locked out, to be sure; but if I recall correctly, everyone was more or less just kind of depressed about it. It sucked that there was no hockey, but everyone kind of accepted that the previous CBA simply wasn't working for anyone. Losing the whole season wasn't ideal, but it was on some level inevitable.

This time, everyone more or less sees that the League and players alike are both doing well; and that, as a consequence, this is a largely avoidable and pointless ego-driven shoving match, and not a work stoppage that carries with it any necessity.

(Coming Up: Dan Boyle hates the lockout; Long Island Railroad preps for Brooklyn; Jagr puts fannies in seats; Nikolai Khabibulin's loophole; Tyler Seguin coming back to Boston; Dan Ellis rules the AHL; abuse of KHL officials; Damian Brunner gets the hell beat out of him; Jack Johnson calls out owners; and a trade to get Jeff Skinner to the Leafs.)

People who complain about hockey anywhere are likely to be the absolute diehards, and when you run in those circles online, of course you're going to see more vitriol.

However, there's something else to consider. We get the players' tweets and comments fed into our stream on a pretty regular basis; all of them, especially these last few days, seemingly designed to be as inflammatory as possible. "Can you believe that Gary Bettman would do this to us?" and so forth is a pretty good — and not wholly inaccurate — way to gin up support for the players' cause and get everyone all worked up at the same time.

But there has to, at some point, be a limit to the fury. Now that players are devolving into conspiracy theories about how the owners planned this all along, writing blog posts about how it's dishonorable to carry on doing this to the players who Just Want To Play, and even actively attacking the owners who signed them, you get the feeling that it all has to reach a logical conclusion at some point in the very near future.

Using the lockout as a tactic to get a more beneficial CBA is something I think most people believe the owners pursued, but now we're getting into conjecture that makes Joe Pesci's "turkey shoot" scene in JFK look at least semi-rational, and one wonders if the next round of intentionally inflammatory talk brings up the Umbrella Man's role in all this.

People were always going to be mad about the lockout to begin with, and the NHLPA's goal in all this is to keep that feeling of ill will bubbling right near the surface, though to what end is difficult to tell, since it's pretty obvious Bettman and the owners don't give a rat's ass about what anyone thinks.

So the answer to Cooper's original question is that it's both people are angrier, and now they have a place to vent about it.

Message boards were the way to complain about a lockout seven years ago, but unless you went to them, you didn't see the emotion. Now anyone can tweet at you to express their understandable disgust with the whole situation. The players they love and want desperately to be watching play the game right now poking them with a pointy stick every couple days just makes it worse.

What We Learned

Anaheim Ducks: Mathieu Carle got a two-game suspension from the KHL for abuse of officials. To be fair, though, I've seen the officiating in the KHL and he probably had a point.

Calgary Flames: Chris Butler on the lockout: "I was talking to one of my buddies the other day, just kind of joking around with him, and I said, 'I dropped out of college to chase my dream of playing in the NHL, and now I'm just a college dropout that doesn't have a job.'"

Carolina Hurricanes: Dan Ellis is killing it in Charlotte. In four games, he has a 1.07 GAA and .967 save percentage. What's Mike Smith up to?

Chicago Blackhawks: That charity game in Chicago ended 16-15 in a shootout, so of course it was Dan Carcillo who netted the winner. Because why, in a game in which Patrick Kane had four goals, wouldn't it be Dan Carcillo?

Columbus Blue Jackets: Vinny Prospal just signed with HC Mountfield of the Czech league, on the same day as Martin Hanzal and Milan Michalek. The team already has Andrew Ference and another Jacket, Radek Martinek, on the roster. Doesn't seem fair.

Dallas Stars: Jaromir Jagr's Czech team, meanwhile, is actually doing well for once. It's had exactly zero winning non-lockout seasons since 1997, but now they're doing great thanks to a top line of Jagr, Jiri Tlusty and Tomas Plekanec. Attendance, as you might imagine, is up 127 percent.

Los Angeles Kings: Nice feature from the Iowa Hawkeyes about Bob Miller, who graduated from U of I in the 70s. Here's something I didn't know: Dude has a lifetime contract with the team for even after he retires. That's great. He deserves it.

Montreal Canadiens: Francis Bouillon, Steve Begin and Max Lapierre played ball hockey for charity over the weekend to benefit the nonprofit that gives beginner and novice hockey players cheap equipment rentals for a whole season.

Nashville Predators: Should David Poile be the guy in charge of picking Team USA for the 2014 Olympics? I'm pretty sure Barry Trotz is Canadian so who would he get to coach? This will never work.

New Jersey Devils: Yeah, the Devils won't miss Ilya Kovalchuk if he stays in Russia. "There are spoiled athletes and then there is Ilya Kovalchuk, the $100 million kid who has yet to break the 100-point scoring barrier in a single season for the New Jersey Devils." Hahaha. In the two full seasons in which Kovalchuk has been with the Devils, two players total have scored 100 points. Get a clue.

New York Islanders: The Long Island Railroad is already prepping for upwards of a few thousand extra fans coming into Brooklyn when the Islanders move there. Can't imagine adding one train to the line takes that much work.

New York Rangers: Rookie FA signing Kyle Jean is still killing it for the Connecticut Whale. Four goals and seven points in his first five pro games. Not bad.

Philadelphia Flyers: A Flyers prospect getting suspended 10 games for targeting the head of an opponent? I don't believe it.

Phoenix Coyotes: Today is Day No. 80 since Jude LaCava of Fox 10 in Arizona said Greg Jamison would have the deal for the Coyotes sewn up within the next five days. Meanwhile, the city of Glendale could lose about $2.5 million if the lockout lasts the entire season. Of course, that's way better than the tens of millions they normally lose because they continue to stupidly subsidize the team.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Tampa's power play wasn't great last season at just 15.2 percent, but the games in which they did score on the power play, they went 22-12-2. So maybe getting someone to help run it would be awesome and cool for them.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Toronto defense prospect Morgan Rielly is doing a lot to help fight cancer. His efforts have already raised $16,000, which will be donated to a Moose Jaw hospital to fund new equipment for breast cancer patients. What a kid.

Washington Capitals: Braden Holtby was finally healthy over the weekend, for the first time since opening night. He recorded a 35-save shutout in his first game back, which is pretty good.

Winnipeg Jets: The St. John's IceCaps might have the most impressive 50-50 raffle in hockey. Last season it topped $1.3 million in contributions despite the team's rink only seating 6,287. Highest jackpot seen since the team moved there from Manitoba was $23,500.

]]>Mon, 29 Oct 2012 06:37:20 PDTRyan LambertnhlPuck Daddyurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,30b4fbfd-6221-3fe4-8971-b8dcd4d0106f-l:1NHL 2012-13 Campaign Preview: Ottawa Senatorshttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/nhl-2012-13-campaign-preview-ottawa-senators-180648965--nhl.html
Yes, indeed, despite the promise of impending labor Armageddon and a prolonged work-stoppage, your friends at Puck Daddy are previewing the 2012-13 NHL season (whenever the heck it starts). Why? Because this is the most important election in the history of all-time ever, and you need to know the candidates — like the Ottawa Senators.

Many in the hockey world (including your friends at Puck Daddy) weren't expecting much from the 2011-12 Ottawa Senators. What was expected to be a rebuilding year with a new head coach turned into one of the NHL's best stories. Ottawa finished eighth in the Eastern Conference, tied with the Washington Capitals with 92 points, and came within a victory of eliminating the No. 1 seeded New York Rangers before falling in seven games.

The other highlight of the season was 22-year old defenseman Erik Karlsson's breakthrough season of 19 goals and 78 points, the most by a blueliner since Nicklas Lidstrom in 2005-06, which earned him the Norris Trophy. The day after he became the youngest Norris winner since Dennis Potvin in 1976, Karlsson signed a 7-year, $45.5 million deal.

Aside from Karlsson, the surprising Sens had many other things go right for them. Jason Spezza had his best season since 2007-08; Daniel Alfredsson was rejuvenated (and healthy) and potted 27 goals; Milan Michalek scored a career high 35 goals; and in his first full season in Ottawa, Craig Anderson provided solid goaltending.

So what to expect from the Senators in 2012-13? It all broke right last season on the backs of career best and comeback seasons from their top players, and there were no expectations on the team. Can Alfredsson continue playing like a 25-year old in a soon-to-be 40-year old's body? Is a now matured Spezza for real? Can Anderson and Ben Bishop provide adequate coverage in net?

If the answers to those questions in April are yes, then it'll be another extended season in Ottawa.

"We haven't lost anything. It's all in Coach MacLean's mustache."

Looking to help their defense, the Senators dealt forward Nick Foligno to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Marc Methot. Foligno will get a chance to be a top-6 guy with the Blue Jackets after becoming expendable with a number of up-and-comers fighting for jobs in the Sens' forward group.

Hoping to replace Foligno in the top-6 is Guillaume Latendresse, who after playing just 27 games over the past two seasons due to concussion issues signed a 1-year, $2 million deal. When healthy, he's capable of being a productive contributor, as shown by his scoring 25 goals in 55 games in 2009-10 after being traded to the Wild. It's a risk given his recent health, but on a 1-year deal, it's worth the gamble.

Zenon Konopka and Matt Carkner, two players who bring the grit, were not brought back and signed with Minnesota and the New York Islanders, respectively. Joining Carkner in the "not re-signed" category was Matt Gilroy (UFA) and Filip Kuba, who inked a 2-year, $8 million deal in Florida.

At forward … In 2010-11, the Senators finished 29th in the NHL with 2.32 goals per game. Their highest scorer was Spezza, who potted 21 goals, the only Senators who hit for more than 20. Last season it was a different story. Ottawa improved mightily, finishing fourth overall with 2.92 goals per game and featuring three players with more than 20 goals, including a pair, Michalek and Spezza reaching the 30-goal mark.

Captain Alfredsson decided to come back for another season, possibly his last, and has overcome back issues that negatively affected his game in the past. A rejuvenated Alfie is a good sign for Ottawa's postseason desires. Another veteran Senator, Spezza, is now 29-year old, married and a father of two. He's showing on the ice the form that made him successful early in his career.

While their Big 3 amounted for 96 goals and 203 points, Ottawa's contributions down the lineup were helpful. Disgruntled in Phoenix, Kyle Turris was acquired in December and flourished under head coach Paul MacLean. In 49 games, Turris put up 29 points and should be a key contributor in his first full season with the Senators. Colin Greening (17 goals) and Zack Smith (14 goals) also chipped in offensively.

Coming up through the system and potentially able to be a factor in the lineup are 2011 No. 6 overall pick Mika Zibanejad, who after playing in Sweden last season will be in North America for 2011-12; whether it's mostly in Ottawa or Binghamton is still to be decided. Same goes for Jakob Silfverberg, the regular season and playoff MVP in Sweden's Elitserien last season, and Mark Stone, who lit up the WHL with 78 goals and 229 points the past two seasons. Each will get their opportunity to make an impact and stay with the big club.

On defense … The blueline needed to improve, which is why Methot was brought in. The 27-year old fell out of favor in Columbus and will get a fresh start with the Senators. It's unlikely Karlsson matches his 78-point season from a year ago, but another strong year offensively will be needed and expected after his new deal. Sergei Gonchar was improved from 2010-11 and along with Karlsson is the only other returning Senators defenseman who netted more than 19 points.

Overall, the defense was seventh-worst in the NHL with 2.88 goals allowed per game. Chris Phillips isn't getting any younger at 34, but with the emergence of Karlsson and a promising rookie season from Jared Cowen (17 points, 3:08 shorthanded time on-ice, 89 games played, including playoffs), there is hope that ranking will improve in 2012-13.

In goal … When Craig Anderson was given the lion's share of the load in net with Colorado in 2009-10, he regressed the following season and ended up being dealt to the Senators. Last season, Anderson started 60 games and put up strong numbers, helping Ottawa to a playoff berth, like he did for the Avalanche in 2010. Will his stats slide this season? Possibly not if Ben Bishop can live up to expectations as Anderson will be pushed by the 25-year old, who the Senators acquired from St. Louis in February.

Then there's Robin Lehner waiting in the wings. The 21-year old is 35 lbs. lighter and says he's grown up a bit. He'll get extended playing time with Binghamton during the lockout and could get a call up should Anderson or Bishop struggle.

"They said rebuild, rebuild because ya gonna come last / Teams dream they can do it this fast."

Paul MacLean studied under Mike Babcock with the Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings, earning a Stanley Cup ring in two appearances in the Final. Like Babcock has done with the Ducks and now the Red Wings, MacLean was able to get the Senators to buy into what he was selling, despite the thought around the team being in the middle of a rebuild. MacLean's success earned him a Jack Adams Award nomination in his rookie season.

After a disastrous 2010-11 campaign when the Senators finished 13th in the conference, GM Bryan Murray was on the hot seat, but owner Eugene Melnyk handed him a surprising 3-year extension. So when he was looking for a replacement for the departed Cory Clouston, he wanted a change. He wanted a communicator and that's what he found in MacLean. Murray knew exactly what he was getting when he hired MacLean thanks to a background check he did that included speaking in-depth with Babcock and so far it's paid off. With the team ahead of schedule, Murray will be hoping that last year's success wasn't a fluke and instead is the start of good things to come.

Last season brought hope that the old Jason Spezza is back. If he's healthy, he'll be productive and with a good cast around him, that spells good news.

Turris showed promise last season and played himself into a fresh 5-year, $17.5 million contract. After a lengthy holdout in Phoenix that ended with him playing six games for the Coyotes before being dealt, the focus can now be on his growth in Ottawa. Just 23-years old, there's plenty of room for improvement.

Marc Methot returns to his hometown of Ottawa and was deemed expendable after the emergence of Nikita Nikitin and the drafting of Ryan Murray. He has three more years at $3 million per season still left on his contract and not known for his offensive abilities, Methot will have to stay healthy if he's to help improve the Senators' backend.

[FEMALE NARRATOR]

Paul Maclean's moustache is a menace. It's suspicious. Look at it, so unruly, so bushy. Has he ever been seen without it? When was the last time anyone saw his upper lip?

Has Paul Maclean ever gone on record as saying there aren't weapons of mass destruction under his moustache?

Why did Paul Maclean take the job in Ottawa? To coach the Senators? Or to get close to Parliament Hill? We will not let you endanger this nation's leaders, Paul. Not on our watch.

Paid for by the Bearded Men's Lobby.

There's enough promise up and down the Ottawa lineup to believe they can make a return trip to the postseason. If the offensive leaders in Alfredsson, Michalek and Spezza don't take big steps back and the defense improves slightly, the Senators will find their way into the Eastern Conference's top-8 again. Anderson will once again need to play at a consistent level, with Bishop (or Lehner) providing reliable spot duty. If the youngsters like Zibanejad, Silfverberg and/or Stone are able to help make an impact offensively, there won't be any questions about whether or not this team will be playoff-bound.

On Tuesday, we revealed the top forwards, defensemen and goaltenders in EA Sports' NHL 13, releasing next month. EA also announced on Tuesday during the Gamescom event that the demo will come out for XBOX 360 and PS3 users on Aug. 21 and for European PS3 gamers on Aug. 22. The demo will feature four modes:

• Play Now featuring the New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings.

• NHL Moments Live where users can replay Game 5 of the Western Conference Final between the Kings and Phoenix Coyotes.

• Hockey Ultimate Team, the fantasy team maker.

• Free Skate where you'll be able to test out the new skating engine and moves.

Today, we're unveiling player and team ratings for the Eastern Conference. Western Conference teams will be revealed on Friday. All rosters reflect deals since July 1 and major transactions only. Ratings after the jump.

Here's EA's explanation for the new team overalls:

"We changed the team overalls for continuity. If you look at our 'potential' rating system and how we break down the each of the six skill ratings, it is all star based and we wanted to be consistent."

Listed below are the team names (Click the team name for player rating graphic), the rating of that team in three categories and a few of their top rated players.

]]>Thu, 16 Aug 2012 15:00:09 PDTSean LeahynhlPuck Daddyurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,399fb7f4-5d24-3df2-b913-3b270cd222b6-l:1Brendan Shanahan meets his critic in the most surreal image of NHL postseason (PHOTO)http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/brendan-shanahan-meets-critic-most-surreal-image-nhl-205621580.html
If you followed the New York Rangers' seven-game victory over the Ottawa Senators, you know that the fans weren't entirely happy with Brendan Shanahan and the NHL Dept. of Player Safety, seeing inequity in the suspensions handed to the teams and seething at plays like Milan Michalek's skate kick in Game 6 that went unpunished.

One fan decided to advertise his displeasure with a sign for Game 7 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night, telling Shanahan (a former Ranger) that he sucks. And look who he bumped into …

As the photograph shows, Brendan Shanahan approached the fan holding the sign from the left side while the two were near an NHL Store in Manhattan. This in violation of Fan Poster Trolling Rule 46.1 which states: "Signs that indicate public officials suck should not be displayed within a reasonable distance of said official unless behind a metal fence or on a large crowd" … the Dept. of Player safety sentences this fan to an awkward meeting and potential Internet infamy.

]]>Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:56:21 PDTGreg WyshynskinhlPuck Daddyurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,45bdca37-4abf-322b-8a01-d3b0a0eb1ed7-l:1Milan Michalek ducks NHL discipline for Dan Girardi skate kick in Game 6http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/milan-michalek-ducks-nhl-discipline-dan-girardi-skate-212910673.html
Ottawa Senators forward Milan Michalek received a warning from the NHL but will not receive any supplemental discipline for kicking New York Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi with his skate during a goal crease pile-on late in Game 6. (Well, actually, his GM Bryan Murray did, but we're sure he passed it along.)

The precedent set for supplemental discipline of this infraction is a two-game suspension. Last season, on April 15, 2011, former NHL disciplinary czar Colin Campbell suspended Ducks forward Bobby Ryan for two games after he stomped on the foot of Predators defenseman Jonathan Blum. Then one month ago, Campbell's replacement - senior VP of player safety Brendan Shanahan - upheld Campbell's precedent by suspending Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner for two games for kicking Blues forward Scott Nichol on March 15.

As we noted Tuesday morning, there's a significant difference between those two acts and Michalek's: Ryan stomped on Blum on the end boards after a puck battle; Skinner mule-kicked Nichol on the boards after a hard check. Michalek, by comparison, was under the linesman, Ryan Callahan and Dan Girardi in the Rangers' crease. So the NHL gave him leeway. (Please note that Girardi was uninjured on the play.)

This decision won't sit well with Rangers fans who already feel that the supplemental discipline in this series — one game for Matt Carkner, none for Chris Neil and three for Carl Hagelin — has been unbalanced.

For Senators fans … well, be happy this happened in Game 6. Because if it didn't mean taking out a top line player for Game 7, we're betting Michalek gets the gate. (Check out John Fontana's post on Raw Charge about weighting the importance of playoff games in the discipline process.)

]]>Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:29:10 PDTGreg WyshynskinhlPuck Daddyurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,9167a98e-94f5-3b7b-aa96-df72e6532f1e-l:1After Milan Michalek ‘kicks’ Dan Girardi, NHL mulls discipline options for Game 7http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/milan-michalek-kicks-dan-girardi-nhl-mulls-discipline-161048903.html
The Ottawa Senators' goal with 38.4 seconds left in the third period of Game 6 against the New York Rangers featured a puck potentially kicked home by Chris Neil's skate; but it's another kick getting attention on the morning after.

Check out the 13-second mark of this video. Watch Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi's lower body jolt. That's Milan Michalek of the Senators putting a skate into this thigh:

The NHL is looking at the play, but hadn't scheduled any formal hearing as of noon on Tuesday. There is better footage from an overhead camera at the arena that didn't air on CBC or NBC on Monday night; whether it's conclusive is another matter.

Sources confirmed to the Sun Tuesday morning Shanahan has acquired the CBC footage of the play. If Girardi's claim is verified, Michalek could face a fine or suspension before Game 7 of the series on Thursday in New York.

Michalek doesn't have any past history of bad behaviour with the league, but a source said Girardi was complaining after the game his pant leg was cut because of the incident. If Shanahan considers the incident serious enough for a possible suspension, a hearing would have to be held before puck drop Thursday night at MSG.

The incident is garnering comparisons to this one from the regular season, in which Carolina Hurricanes star Jeff Skinner was suspended for two games for using his skate to push off against Scott Nichol while flat on the ice:

The one enormous difference between the two: Michalek is in the bottom of a pile, having already been face-washed by Ryan Callahan on the way down. Skinner was reacting to a hit along the boards.

As anyone that's played tackle football can attest: Your body can go into flailing survival mode when you've been sandwiched by other players. The question is whether Michalek can be taken out of a Game 7 for reacting the way he did given the circumstances.

]]>Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:10:48 PDTGreg WyshynskinhlPuck Daddyurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,e37bb411-1a27-3a49-88e8-9875d188d4d0-l:1Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson says he’s in for Game 6 vs. Rangershttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/senators-captain-daniel-alfredsson-says-game-6-vs-150917368.html
The Ottawa Senators have managed to push the top-seeded New York Rangers to the brink of elimination in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal without their captain Daniel Alfredsson, who was concussed by Carl Hagelin late in Game 2.

Hagelin's back for the Rangers in Game 6, having served his three-game suspension.

He was "hopeful" and "encouraged" after Sunday's practice; and now, he's in, likely skating with the second line while Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek roll on the first.

The Rangers are facing an uphill climb here. Craig Anderson looks like the impenetrable playoff performer he was for the Avalanche two years ago. Jason Spezza found his offense. The power play (13.6 percent) can't seem to get that key goal at a key time for Henrik Lundqvist. Brian Boyle, one of the few Rangers making an offensive impact, is likely out for Game 6.

Now, on top of it all, Alfredsson returns in front of a home crowd that chanted his name in absence during the previous games in Ottawa.

It's a storybook moment for a first-round series that starting to look like a hockey fable being penned by the pesky Senators — and their star player who still has one more chapter to write:

While the return of Daniel Sedin sparked the Canucks' offense, it was Schneider's 43-save performance that helped Vancouver avoid elimination and defeat the Los Angeles Kings, 3-1. He made 18 saves in the second period, as the Canucks answered an Anze Kopitar goal with tallies by Alex Edler and Kevin Bieksa. This save on a Dustin Brown penalty shot was one of the game's key moments:

In yet another insanely unpredictable game between the Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers, Staal's hat trick helped Pittsburgh avoid elimination and win in a rout, 10-3. He broke a 3-3 tie with a goal late in the first period, 1:10 after Sidney Crosby knotted it. He completed the trick with two goals in the second.

Honorable mention: Sidney Crosby (1G, 2A), Evgeni Malkin (2G, 1A) and Steve Sullivan (1G, 2A) had three-point games. In total, 13 Penguins had points in the win. … Marc-Andre Fleury gave up three goals on 11 shots in the first, but played well the rest of the way. … Claude Giroux had a goal and an assist for the Flyers. … Anton Stralman and Ryan Callahan scored power-play goals for the Rangers. … Milan Michalek and Sergei Gonchar scored for the Senators. … Craig Anderson made 31 saves.

Dishonorable mention: Zac Rinaldo was given a game misconduct after cross-checking Zbynek Michalek. … Brayden Schenn and Danny Briere were minus-4. … Both Ilya Byrzgalov and Sergei Bobrovsky gave up five goals on 18 shots, but Bryz was especially bad early in the game. … Henrik Sedin elbowed Dustin Brown to the head. … Finally, Nicklas Grossman was injured in this collision with Evgeni Malkin; should it lead to any supplemental discipline?

It seemed destined that the Ottawa Senators would end up facing the Boston Bruins in the first round, but the end of the NHL's regular season can provide surprises -- such as this No. 1 vs. No. 8 series that some believe is closer than it appears.

The New York Rangers dominated the Eastern Conference for majority of the 2011-12 season. The Pittsburgh Penguins nipped at their heels near the end, but New York has been quite comfortable atop the standings. They fell short of winning the Presidents' Trophy, but really, there's only one piece of silverware that teams at this time of year worry about.

Before the season, to even suggest that Ottawa would make playoffs would get you laughed at. Everyone, us included, didn't expect competitive hockey out of Canada's capital, but then Erik Karlsson blossomed into a Norris Trophy contender; Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek returned to old forms; and captain Daniel Alfredsson was re-born, healthy and playing at a level that has many believing the 39-year-old will delay retirement for another year.

The Senators have come this far already. Can they make a little noise in the East?

Here's the breakdown of the Rangers and Senators, complete with Zombified observations …

New York Rangers (1) vs. Ottawa Senators (8)

April 12: Ottawa at New York, 7 p.m. ET.
April 14: Ottawa at New York, 7 p.m. ET.
April 16: New York at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. ET.
April 18: New York at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. ET.
April 21: Ottawa at New York, 7 p.m. ET.*
April 23: New York at Ottawa TBD*
April 26: Ottawa at New York TBD*

Captain Ryan Callahan put up career numbers in goals (29) and points (54) and led all Rangers forwards in blocked shots (88) and hits (271). He's not afraid to sacrifice his body and this season managed to stay healthy doing so. Derek Stepan had a solid sophomore season after a strong rookie year. He'll be key in helping to create offense on the second line.

Brian Boyle and Brandon Dubinsky took big dips offensively, while Ruslan Fedotenko and Artem Anisimov took small steps back from a year ago. Their contributions will be focal points in helping the Rangers' secondary scoring get going.

Ottawa ended up as the NHL's fourth-ranked offense averaging 2.96 goals per game. Jason Spezza (34) and Milan Michalek (35) each hit the 30-goal mark, while six others also hit double digits. The 28-year-old Spezza has matured and found his game again, and it's one of the reasons for the Senators' success.

Alfredsson is a similar case. No longer the 40-goal, 80-point man he once was, Alfredsson refined his game, stayed healthy and was productive enough (27 goals, 59 points) to not only be the team's leader, but also a valuable contributor.

Colin Greening (17 goals) and Zack Smith (14 goals) both enjoyed breakout seasons and provided the needed secondary scoring that helped boost the Ottawa offense. Nick Foligno produced a career high 47 points, but also continued to bring grit along with Chris Neil.

When Kyle Turris was acquired from Phoenix in December, it signaled a new start for him and plenty of opportunity. He took advantage of the chance and popped in 12 goals and 29 points playing the most minutes (17:21 with Ottawa) in his young career.

ADVANTAGE: EVEN

Only two other teams (St. Louis and Los Angeles) were better defensively than the Rangers this season. Allowing 2.22 goals per game, New York was led by Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh who both play the tough minutes and only blue liners on the Rangers to average more than 24 minutes a game. The Rangers don't get much offense from their blue line, which was led by Michael Del Zotto's 10 goals and 41 points. He'll be their anchor on the power play after leading all NHL defensemen with 4:11 of ice per game with the man advantage.

Behind them is Marc Staal who played 46 games after returning from a concussion and can be looked at at in midseason form right now. Anton Stralman rounds out the defensemen who produced more than nine points. He'll be partnered with Staal on the second pairing.

When talking about the Senators' defense, you have to begin with Karlsson. The 21-year-old took a step back in his sophomore year, but then a major step forward this season recording 19 goals and 78 points. He'll likely end up on a lot of Norris Trophy ballots, some might even have him as the winner. He's the key cog on the power play as well.

Sergei Gonchar and Filip Kupa will be relied upon to provide most of the remaining offense from the back, unless Chris Phillips decides to go on another goal scoring spree like he did in February.

Keeping the puck of their net will be the issue for Ottawa. Their plus-9 goal differential was 14th in the NHL and while they haven't had an issue scoring from the blue line, they've had to dig pucks out of their own net far too often.

ADVANTAGE: RANGERS

When the Zombie Apocalypse happens, Artem Anisimov will be the Rangers' survivor because of his advanced skills in the art of using the hockey stick gun.

When the Zombie Apocalypse happens, every Senator will survive because they'll just hide in Paul MacLean's mustache.

Henrik Lundqvist could finally be in line for some individual hardware come June as he'll likely be up for the Vezina Trophy and potentially the Hart Trophy. After the best season of his career (39 wins, 1.97 GAA, .930 save-percentage), Lundqvist now needs his success to continue over into the playoffs.

Ottawa gives up a lot of shots, but Craig Anderson has done a good job keeping enough out of the net to help deliver the Senators success. Despite a hand injury in February, Anderson took on the bulk of work playing 63 games. He can be streak at times. Anderson won at least four games in a row five different times this season. Ottawa is hoping his next streak begins Thursday night.

ADVANTAGE: RANGERS

The Rangers are the zombies always feel really pissed off about being zombies and having to do zombie things and then they end up cursing out Larry Brooks before eating him.

The Senators are the zombie everyone assumed would be chained in the basement ... until they learned how to open doors.

John Tortorella knows what it takes to win a Stanley Cup. So does Brad Richards, who he coached in Tampa when the Lightning were champions in 2004. His brash, abrasive style hasn't worn thin on the Rangers just yet and so far he's found that fine line of tough love to help guide New York to their best season since 1994, the last time they won the Cup.

Paul MacLean comes from the coaching tree of Mike Babcock and in his first year exceeded all expectations. A likely nominee for the Jack Adams Awards, MacLean has found the right times to push his players to help get the most out of them.

ADVANTAGE: EVEN

Adding Brad Richards to the power play didn't provide the success many had hoped. New York's power play finished 23rd in the league with a 15.7 percent success rate. Callahan (13) and Gaborik (10) led the way in goals, but the unit was far too inconsistent at times for a team that sports that amount of talent.

Ottawa's power play unit found the back of the net 18.2 percent of the time, good enough for 11th in the NHL. Spezza and Michalek each scored 10 times while 12 others chipped in at least once with the extra man. The Senators were susceptible up a man allowing seven shorthanded goals.

Down a man, the Rangers were ranked fifth in the league killing 86.2 percent of power plays. Defensive stalwarts Giradi, McDonagh and Callahan helped contain opposing power play units. New York also scored eight times short-handed.

Like the Rangers, the penalty kill for Ottawa was opposite of their power play. Killing 81.6 percent of power plays, the Senators' kill was 20th overall. More bad news is that Craig Anderson power play save-percentage was .885.

ADVANTAGE: RANGERS

In order to defeat the Rangers, Ottawa must remind themselves how they took three of four games against New York and outscored them 14-8. It may be a No. 1 vs No. 8 matchup on paper, but the Senators know that the Rangers are a team they can beat.

In order to defeat the Senators, New York must take smart shots. Anderson has seen plenty of rubber (seventh most shots against), but managed to earn wins. The Rangers have the snipers to keep Anderson busy, but they also must make him work for his saves.

Rangers in 5. The Rangers' defense and Lundqvist will smother Ottawa's offense and cause them to continue turning over the puck like they did during the regular season. Given a series where games are played just about every other day, it won't take long for the Rangers to have a book on Anderson and figure out a way to beat him early and often.

]]>Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:09:17 PDTSean LeahynhlPuck Daddyurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,1ba23cca-ec8f-3633-b676-d5552de2619f-l:1Fantasy Hockey: Breaking down the Eastern Conference for playoff poolshttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/fantasy-hockey-breaking-down-eastern-conference-playoff-pools-152910792.html
You knew this was coming. Yesterday's look at the West probably tipped you off. So without further ado — well, actually just one ado: a shameless plug. Join my free playoff pool and if you feel completely helpless at drafts year after year, then give my Interactive Playoff Draft List a shot.

Now without further ado, here are my thoughts on the Eastern Conference, with a fantasy slant.

Dark horses: Brandon Dubinsky had eight points in his last 11 games. He may not be a potential 65-point player, but he's certainly not the 34-point guy who showed up this season, tying the likes of Shawn Horcoff in scoring. He could very well be that player who posts 15 points in 18 playoff games. ... Brian Boyle ended the season with seven points in nine games and he boasts the big body that teams will often use in the postseason to plant in front of the net on the power play (see Byfuglien, Dustin).

Could let you down: Carl Hagelin is a speedy rookie who shows a lot of promise. He made a big splash this campaign, posting 38 points in 64 games while posting a eye-popping plus-21. But he is a rookie, and Torts loves to lean on his vets. He also has just one point in his last 10 games… Dan Girardi, the team's minute muncher, has just three points in 32 career playoff games.

Keep in mind: Del Zotto still shows his inexperience by suffering through cold spells. He finished the season pointless in his last four, and went a stretch in January pointless in eight. On the flip side, that means he got his production this year during some pretty impressive hot runs. ... Richards' reputation as a playoff warrior is well-founded. He has 57 points in his last 52 playoff games. ... Gaborik has just seven points in his last 16 playoff contests.

Dark horses: Rich Peverley was better and better as the postseason wore on last year. He carried that on into this season and were it not for injuries he would have posted career highs. If you like Boston, Peverley is almost as good as the players listed above… Benoit Pouliot has shown a lot of improvement throughout the season. Granted, as the fourth overall pick in 2005 this was expected of him five years ago, but better late than never. He has 30 points in his last 58 games and shown great chemistry with Brian Rolston to give the Bruins a third scoring line down the stretch… Speaking of Rolston, he has 14 points in his last 12 games.

Could let you down: In terms of offense, the numbers weren't there for Lucic last year. He had just 12 points in 25 playoff games after posting 18 points in the prior 23. He was used in a role where offense wasn't his prime directive, and judging by the latest Stanley Cup engraving, Coach Claude Julien will probably use him in the same manner this time around, too. So while the PIM will be high, the points may be low.

Keep in mind: Nathan Horton (mild concussion) is still not skating and may not get into any playoff action at all, even if Boston goes all the way…Krejci led all players in postseason scoring last year with 23 points…In each of his last two postseasons, Chris Kelly's points-per-game average was higher than it was during the preceding regular season.

Dark horses: Mikael Samuelsson has a fantastic history in the postseason, last year aside. He had 49 points in 75 games from 2007 to 2010. He finished this campaign with 10 points in his last 13 games…Marcel Goc had 25 points in the last 40 games. He's actually outscored Versteeg in that span — Versteeg had 21 points. … Don't forget that Sean Bergenheim scored nine times for Tampa last year in 16 playoff games.

Could let you down: Tomas Kopecky has just seven points in 30 career postseason games…With one point in his last 11 games, Wojtek Wolski has disappeared. Then again, he was removed from the big line once Versteeg returned, and sticking him on a checking line is like putting Jay Rosehill on the power play. But it is what it is…

Keep in mind: In the last seven seasons, Jason Garrison has participated in exactly seven playoff games. That's all levels going back to junior. … Shawn Matthias was a healthy scratch twice down the stretch. He was pointless in his last 15.

Dark horses: As the NHL's leading team in terms of offense despite Crosby missing three-quarters of the season, Pittsburgh has no shortage of options here. By the time your third round is complete, the bones of this roster will be picked clean. You'll be looking at the bottom of the stats sheet and wondering if Ben Lovejoy can reach back to his glory days as a seven-year-old in minor midget. … Actually, if you want a dark horse, look at Paul Martin. As long as Kris Letang is healthy, Martin isn't going to do much. So what you'll be doing is hedging on Letang's health. If Letang gets hurt, Martin is your man. Martin had 11 points in 20 games without Letang around, but just 16 in 53 with him. …Tyler Kennedy has 11 points in his last 14 games and is seeing a lot of time with Crosby.

Could let you down: Sullivan has been decent for the Penguins in the role that he's been given. And historically, his regular season numbers have been tremendous. But the playoffs? Not so much. Just 17 points in 44 career playoff games. … Staal gets pushed even further into a defensive role come playoff time, which makes sense considering he is their best option for that. But the result has been just 27 points in 67 career playoff games…

Keep in mind: Dupuis is riding a 17-game points streak. Yes, I said "Dupuis". … After beginning the campaign with just 30 penalty minutes in 73 games, Matt Cooke picked up 14 in his last nine. He was also pointless in his last five games, so perhaps he's re-turning over that leaf. … Neal missed the last two games with a lower body injury, but is apparently ready to go…

Dark horses: James van Riemsdyk is out with a foot injury, but could be back by Game 5 or so. He had seven points in 11 postseason games last year so if you like the Flyers to go deep he's a solid scoop in a late round. … Matt Read's six game winners and two shorthanded markers each tie him for the team lead. He's used in all situations, which is often "gold" when it comes to playoff performance.

Could let you down: This is the one team where I looked through the playoff history of every player and could find zero dirt. I feel like TMZ after checking out Wayne Gretzky. Squeaky clean. There will be one or two players on this roster who will let you down, especially if they're put out first round. But I'll be damned if I can give you a name.

Keep in mind: Briere missed the last three games with a back contusion, but was back in practice Monday. Still questionable for Game 1. But he's been a stud in the playoffs for Philly…Speaking of playoff studs — Claude Giroux has either led this team in playoff scoring, or has been Top 2, since joining the league. And that includes years in which he was a third-line rookie or sophomore. … The last time we saw Jagr in an NHL postseason, he tallied 15 points in 10 games for the Rangers. … Chris Pronger is out for the year (or longer) with a serious concussion, in the off chance that you're really behind on your hockey. Hey — how many times have you lost a playoff pool to that bubbly admin assistant who picked players based on names she knew? Well, that tidbit was for her.

Dark horses: By no stretch of the imagination do I consider Travis Zajac a sure thing. Since returning for the second time from his injured Achilles, he has three points in seven games. That being said, he is playing with Kovalchuk and Parise. … Marek Zidlicky is often logging over 25 minutes per game. Although he has just eight points in 22 games with the Devils, these minute-munching power-play quarterbacks are often the players who really surge production-wise.

Could let you down: Henrique has just 10 points in his last 23 games. He's been playing with Steve Bernier and Alexei Ponikarovsky. With all due respect to Ponikarovsky's success in New Jersey, this is a mighty big downgrade from Kovalchuk and Parise. … Speaking of Poni, although he has performed well with this team, his playoff track record is spotty at best. Dismal showings with Toronto, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles — why should New Jersey be different? … Petr Sykora has 10 points in his last 31 playoff games — including a sweet gig on Sidney Crosby's line — after starting his NHL career with 59 in 84…

Keep in mind: Since the lockout, Elias has 39 points in 36 playoff contests. … In three postseason appearances with the Devils, Dainius Zubrus managed just one point in each of them. … Adam Larsson was a healthy scratch in five of the last six games and is probably not going to be in the playoff mix.

Dark horses: In the 38 games that he has played since he was last made a healthy scratch, Mathieu Perreault tallied 23 points. He's a boom or bust pick. ... Joel Ward was outstanding for the Predators last season, posting 13 points in 12 games. That display is what earned him this contract with Washington in the first place. This is his "go" time. … Keith Aucoin dressed for the last 17 games and tallied nine points in them. He has 82 points in 83 career AHL playoff games.

Could let you down: Backstrom had a slow start, understandably so, upon returning from a concussion. He posted just two points in four games. And last year he managed just two assists in nine playoff games. … Wideman had just eight points in his last 28 games.

Keep in mind: Take away the one horrible playoff that Semin had (when he was Jaroslav Halak'ed), and he has actually been a pretty good postseason producer, notching 28 points in 30 games. ... Troy Brouwer's point totals have declined in each of his last three seasons (40, 36, 33) even though his games played have increased (78, 79, 82). He also has just 10 points in 43 career playoff games. In other words, take him in the first round.

Dark horses: Kyle Turris may only have 29 points on the season, but he got those points in 49 games with Ottawa. He also tallied nine points in his last seven games and often plays with Daniel Alfredsson. … Foligno doesn't have an impressive playoff resume yet (two points in 10 games), but he plays playoff-style hockey and will finally get into the postseason as a key part of the team, rather than in a depth role.

Could let you down: Colin Greening's 37 points put him sixth on the team in scoring. But last year, in the AHL, he managed just five points in 23 games for Binghamton.

Keep in mind: I doubt that Bobby Butler gets into the lineup, but a couple of injuries and you just never know. He did have one four game stretch in February where he really clicked with Spezza, picking up six points. … Sergei Gonchar has 40 points in his last 55 playoff games. That's almost enough to make you forget that he only got five points in his last 19 contests.

Turris had his best game as a member of the Senators Sunday, registering 4 points in a 5-1 win over the half-hearted New York Islanders. With the victory, the Senators officially punched their ticket to the playoffs. Turris scored twice and assisted on two others, including this Sergei Gonchar goal off a sweet feed from Milan Michalek:

Gonchar and Michalek had multi-point nights as well. Gonchar registered 1 goal and 1 assist, and Michalek chipped in a goal (his 35th) and 2 assists.

No. 2 Star: Devin Setoguchi, Minnesota Wild

Setoguchi had a big game for the Wild in their 5-4 shootout win over the Chicago Blackhawks. He scored a goal and assisted on two more -- Dany Heatley's 22nd of the season and Clayton Stoner's 1st of the campaign -- before scoring the shootout winner as well.

No. 3 Star: Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers

Voracek's first 3-point night as a member of the Flyers came in a 9-2 rout of the Columbus Blue Jackets on November 5. The competition was a little stiffer in his second. Voracek contributed 2 goals and an assist in a 6-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, first scoring to cue the comeback after the Flyers had fallen down 2-0, then again to ice the game with an empty-netter. Claude Giroux pitched in a goal and 2 assists.

Honourable mention: Steve Sullivan scored twice in the Penguins loss, and Pascal Dupuis extended his point streak to 14 games, the longest active streak in the NHL ... Jiri Hudler scored the Detroit Red Wings' lone goal in regulation, then one of two they scored in the shootout to beat the Florida Panthers 2-1. The other was scored by Pavel Datsyuk, who almost managed to bank a puck off the back of Scott Clemmensen's head from behind the goal in this game:

... Patrice Bergeron was fantastic in the Boston Bruins' 2-1 win over the New York Rangers, scoring the game-winner and winning an absurd 17 of 19 faceoffs. With the win, the Bruins clinched the Northeast Division. Marion Gaborik scored his 40th goal of the season in the loss ... Teemu Hartikainen scored both Edmonton Oilers' goals in a 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Teemu Selanne scored the lone Ducks' goal in the loss. Was it his last goal in the Honda Centre?

Did you know? The Penguins have surrendered 29 goals in their last 6 games.

Dishonourable mention: The Islanders played like a team that didn't want to be there. Granted, considering where they play, that's not surprising, but still ... Kyle Quincey may be staring down the barrel of a Shanaban ... Wild right wing Nick Johnson was a minus-3 in only 10 minutes of icetime.

Tim Wallace doesn't score often. But when he does, it looks like this.

No. 1 Star: Chris Higgins, Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks winger completed a 2-goal rally with a game-tying goal in the second period, and then scored the game-winning OT goal to give Vancouver a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche. The Canucks clinched their fourth consecutive Northwest Division title.

No. 2 Star: Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa Senators

Ottawa's captain scored 2 goals and 2 assists in the Senators' 8-4 victory against the red-hot Pittsburgh Penguins. With his team clinging to a 4-3 lead, Alfredsson scored a shorthanded goal late in the second period. Nick Foligno and Milan Michalek had 3-point nights. Matt Cooke had two goals and Sidney Crosby had a goal and an assist in the loss, the Penguins' first regulation defeat in 15 games.

No. 3 Star: Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins

Thomas was the difference in the third period, stopping 17 of 18 shots and 40 for the game as the Bruins topped the Los Angeles Kings, 4-2. Milan Lucic and Chris Kelly had third-period goals.

Honorable mention: Kari Lehtonen made 35 saves and Jamie Benn scored two goals as the Dallas Stars damaged the Calgary Flames' playoff hopes with a 4-1 win. … Valtteri Filppula (3 assists) and Juri Hudler (1 goal, 2 assists) had three-point games while Henrik Zetterberg had two goals in the Detroit Red Wings' 5-4 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. … Ryan Miller made 24 saves while Thomas Vanek and Cody Hodgson had a goal and an assist in the Buffalo Sabres' 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wild. … Pekka Rinne made 24 saves, getting goals from Matt Halischuk, Gabriel Bourque and Shea Weber in the Nashville Predators' 3-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets. … Ryan Callahan had the game-deciding shootout goal in the New York Rangers' 4-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Marian Gaborik scored two goals in regulation. Tim Connolly scored the game-tying goal 18 seconds after Gaborik's third-period goal. … Ryane Clowe had the game-deciding goal in the shootout after earlier taking a Brent Burns shot off of the face, as the San Jose Sharks picked up a huge two points with a 4-3 win over the Phoenix Coyotes. Joe Thornton had two assists. Daymond Langkow had a goal and an assist; Mike Smith was solid with 29 saves. … Danny Briere scored two power-play goals in the second period, as the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Montreal Canadiens, 4-1. Matt Read had a goal and an assist, while Ilya Bryzgalov made 23 saves, had an assist and a tripping minor. … Steven Stamkos scored goals No. 51 and 52, and assisted on Tim Wallace's third-period goal, as the Tampa Bay Lightning topped the New York Islanders, 4-3. Stamkos set the franchise single-season record for goals. … Zdeno Chara played game No. 1,000.

Playoff Race: The Sabres moved into the No. 8 seed, up two points on the Capitals. San Jose is tied in points with Colorado and Los Angeles, but the Kings hold the No. 8 seed with more wins than the Sharks and fewer games played than the Avs.

Fight of the Night: Chris Kelly had a good fight and Trevor Lewis had one good punch:

Did you know? The Stars paid tribute to former D Karlis Skrastins prior to the game. Skrastins was a member of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team when the Latvian native died in a plane crash in Russia last September en route to a Kontinental League game in Minsk. His widow, Zane, and three daughters participated in the ceremony. (AP)

Dishonorable mention: Justin Faulk was a minus-4 for Carolina. … Evgeni Malkin, Zbynek Michalek and Brooks Orpik were a minus-4. …Brad Thiessen gave up all eight goals for Pittsburgh. … Toronto has lost nine straight at home (0-7-2) … Wayne Simmonds had 14 PIMs for the Flyers: hooking and slashing minors and a 10-minute misconduct in the same sequence. … Jeff Carter and Mike Richards were minus-3 for the Kings. … Finally, if you've not heard this anthem, please take an hour and listen.

Ribeiro scored on both shots he took and picked up an assist as the Stars stuck it to the Vancouver Canucks, 5-2, pushing Dallas's record in their last 8 games to 7-0-1. Ribeiro's shot on this 2-on-1 is just ridiculous. Look where he puts it:

No. 2 Star: Jordan Caron, Boston Bruins

Tyler Seguin scored twice, but he may have been overshadowed by another sophomore in Caron, who had 2 goals and an assist in the Bruins' 5-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was a wide-open game, proof that Randy Carlyle still has some work to do getting this team to do the tighten up.

No. 3 Star: Milan Michalek, Ottawa Senators

Michalek is here for his four-point night, not for how he got those four points. The Senators' winger had a hat trick and an assist in a 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, which sounds impressive, but his exclusion from the game's three stars makes a little more sense once you realize all three came in the final 10 minutes and the second and third goals came with nobody tending the Lightning goal.

Honorable mention: Justin Faulk scored the overtime winner as the Carolina Hurricanes knocked off the Washington Capitals, 4-3 ... Jack Johnson had a goal and an assist in Columbus Blue Jackets' 3-2 win over the Phoenix Coyotes. His goal, which put the Jackets up 2-0 less than five minutes in, chased Mike Smith ... Ilya Kovalchuk had a goal and an assist as the New Jersey Devils topped the New York Rangers, 4-1. The Devils' fans get an honourable mention as well for their boisterous chants of "Marty's better," and Petr Sykora gets mention because he played in his 1000th NHL game ... Ilya Bryzgalov surrendered a goal on his first but then he settled in, stopping 37 of the next 38 to help the Philadelphia Flyers to a 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings. Claude Giroux had a goal and an assist ... Max Pacioretty scored twice in the Canadiens loss, and Lars Eller scored from his knees:

... Gabriel Landeskog had two assists, Steve Downie had 2 assists, and 7 different members of the Colorado Avalanche scored goals in a 7-1 shellacking over the hapless Minnesota Wild. The Wild has now surrendered 18 goals in 5 games since trading Nick Schultz and Greg Zanon away at the deadline... Speaking of shellackings, the St. Louis Blues handed it to the Chicago Blackhawks in a 5-1 win. Andy McDonald scored twice and Jaroslav Halak won his 6th straight start, tying a career-best. Speaking of bests, this was his best save:

... Trevor Lewis scored the game-winner as the Los Angeles Kings held off the Nashville Predators, 5-4. Justin Williams and Patrick Hornqvist scored two goals apiece ... Glencross picked up assists on goals by Mark Giordano and David Moss before scoring one of his own early in the third period. That goal stood up as the game-winner as the Flames knocked off the Montreal Canadiens 5-4. Jarome Iginla scored twice in the win... Sam Gagner scored the shootout winner in the Edmonton Oilers' 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks.

Fight of the Night: Jay Rosehill vs. Shawn Thornton

Rosehill opens up Thornton with a massive right at 0:23, so I'll give him the decision, but this is a nice, long, fairly even heavyweight scrap.

Did you know? The Leafs may have lost Joffrey Lupul to an injury after he was ridden into the boards by David Krejci. He left the game favouring his right arm or hand. Having to play without Lupul would put a major damper on their playoff hopes.

Dishonorable mention: Via Russian Machine Never Breaks, Dmitry Orlov picked up his first 12 penalty minutes of the season after taking exception to a Jeff Skinner slewfoot. He was tagged with 2 minutes for roughing in the aftermath, but he also earned a 10-minute misconduct for abusing the officials after pushing linesman Jean Morin.

Parise's hat trick led the Devils to a 5-0 rout of the Washington Capitals, giving him 27 goals on the season. Parise scored on the power play and even strength in the first, and then again on a 2-on-1 with Adam Henrique in the second. Parise also had a tense moment, leaving the ice and getting checked for a concussion after getting crunched by two Capitals. Parise returned for the third period. Patrik Elias and Dainius Zubrus had the other goals, while Johan Hedberg had the 23-save shutout.

No. 2 Star: Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks

Heck of a time to break a goal drought: Getzlaf scored his first goal in 17 games at 19:14 of the third period, cranking a shot past Leland Irving to break a tie and give the Ducks a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames. Getzlaf also connected with Corey Perry on the Ducks' second goal.

No. 3 Star: Ryan Malone, Tampa Bay Lightning

Malone beat Henrik Lundqvist (27 saves) at 1:58 of overtime to give the Lightning a 4-3 win against the visiting New York Rangers, keeping their playoff hopes alive and snapping a 10-game goal drought for the Bolts' winger. Teddy Purcell had a goal and two assists, while Steven Stamkos had a goal and an assist.

Honorable mention: Bryan Bickell and Marian Hossa scored second-period goals, while Ray Emery made 25 saves in his return to Ottawa, as the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Senators, 2-1. Milan Michalek scored his 29th for Ottawa, while Robin Lehner made 37 saves. … The Detroit Red Wings peppered the Minnesota Wild with 35 shots, routing them, 6-0. Valtteri Filppula had two goals and an assist, Henrik Zetterberg had a goal and two assists, while Brendan Smith scored his first NHL goal. Jimmy Howard had the 19-save shutout. … Kari Lehtonen made 19 saves as the Dallas Stars defeated the Edmonton Oilers, 3-1. Radek Dvorak, Tomas Vincour and Michael Ryder had the goals. … Ian White was a plus-4 for the Red Wings. … Zubrus had the celebration of the night for the Devils:

Fight of the Night: Francois Beauchemin and Jarome Iginla threw down big time, with plenty of punches landed:

Did you know? All four games between the Rangers and Lightning were won by the team trailing entering the third. (AP)

Dishonorable mention: Edmonton fans booed Sheldon Souray in his return with the Stars, instead of booing their GM. … Brian Boyle, Ruslan Fedotenko and Brandon Prust were minus-3 for the Rangers. … Justin Falk and Kurtis Foster were minus-3 for the Wild; Dany Heatley was a minus-4. … Josh Harding was pulled after 45:30 and giving up six goals.

Before their game with the Vancouver Canucks, Rangers coach John Tortorella said he wasn't expecting to win the game 1-0. His reverse jinx succeeded as New York snapped Vancouver's 17-game regulation unbeaten streak with a 1-0 win behind 31 saves from Lundqvist. Wojtek Wolski scored his first goal as a Ranger in the second period as Lundqvist recorded his sixth shutout of the season.

The Oilers rookie tallied a pair and assisted on Dustin Penner's 13th as the Oilers sent San Jose to their sixth straight loss with a 5-2 win. Alex Hemsky assisted on each other Hall's two goals, as well as two others and Devan Dubnyk made 41 saves for his second win in a row. Hall's three-point night puts him two points behind Logan Couture for second place among rookie scorers.

Yandle added the empty-netter the helped sink the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 5-1 loss, but the Coyotes blueliner also helped setup Phoenix's two goals to open the third period and give them a 3-0 lead. Lauri Korpikoski added two points and Ilya Bryzgalov made 28 saves to improve to 4-0 lifetime against Toronto.

Honorable mention: Five different Bruins recorded two points as Boston rallied from three deficits to beat Philadelphia 7-5. Steve Kampfer scored the go-ahead goal for Boston with 1:14 remaining as part of a five-goal third period for the Bruins. Danny Briere recorded two points, giving him six since being left off the All-Star Game player pool. Scott Hartnell opened the scoring with this nifty tough-angle goal:

David Booth's goal with 4:12 to go in the third was one of two Florida goals in a 2:14 span as the Panthers edged Nashville 3-2 ... Drew Stafford's goal early in the third period gave Buffalo a lead they wouldn't surrender as they got past Carolina 3-2 to improve to 5-1-1 in their past seven games. Cody McCormick was an assist away from a Gordie Howe Hat Trick, but along with his goal and fight, he drew the penalty that led to Stafford's goal ... Robin Lehner earned his first NHL win in his first start by making 20 saves in a 6-4 Ottawa win over the New York Islanders to snap a six-game losing streak. Jesse Winchester and Milan Michalek each had a goal and an assist, while Sergei Gonchar finished a plus-4. Trevor Gillies scored his first NHL goal in the loss for New York ... Ryan Reaves scored his second NHL goal and Jaroslav Halak made 24 saves as St. Louis ended a five-game skid with a 3-1 win over Los Angeles.

Did you know? "The Senators are the only team in the NHL that hasn’t won a single game that has gone past regulation." (AP)

Chris Osgood has Eriksson to blame for helping to prevent the Detroit Red Wings goalie's 400th NHL victory on Sunday night. Eriksson assisted on goals by Brad Richards and Brendan Morrow and then scored the game-winner on a 3-on-1 break to give Dallas a 4-3 win at the Joe. Morrow's goal at 16:46 of the third period sent the game to OT, where Loui won it like this:

Down 2-0 after the first period, the Capitals needed a hero to avoid their ninth straight loss. Perreault responded by scoring 34 seconds into the second and then converted on the power play just over six minutes later to break a 2-2 tie and help lead Washington to a 3-2 victory at the Ottawa Senators. Eric Fehr had the other goal. Said Perreault after the game: "We felt like we won a championship."

Did you know? Colorado Avalanche defenseman Kyle Quincey will have season-ending shoulder surgery after getting injured against the Capitals on Dec. 11.

Dishonorable mention: Ottawa was 0-for-5 on the power play. ... Milan Michalek had six penalty minutes for the Sens. ... The Capitals roared back to win, but the 2-0 deficit after the first was inexcusable given their losing streak. ... Finally, Steve Ott takes a loss at the hands of ... Justin Abdelkader?!

Montreal defenseman Andrei Markov went under the knife for torn knee ligaments during the summer, and is primed to play his first game of the season tonight.

The immediate benefit will be on the power play. The Canadiens scored one on the man advantage last night, but have scored only 3 in 34 chances. Markov's an elite point man on the power play, with 16 points in 45 games last season and 39 in 78 games in 2008-09.

That the Ottawa Senators are 3-2 without Spezza in the lineup and 1-3-1 with him is simply an indication that Spezza's missed a good portion of the season with a groin injury. The fact is that he was a point-per-game player when healthy, and the Senators welcome him back tonight against the Bruins. The Ottawa Citizen reports he'll line up with the revitalized Alex Kovalev and Peter Regin.Milan Michalek is expected to miss a week with tendonitis.

The pugilistic and pugnacious Toronto Maple Leafs forward will be wearing skates tricked out in neon pink for their game against the New York Rangers, which is 'Camp Trillium Awareness Night' at Air Canada Centre, in which the Leafs "are supporting Camp Trillium in their awareness efforts and to help contribute to providing recreational experiences for families battling childhood cancer."

"Any way I can support awareness for any kind of cancer, I'm willing to do that," Orr said. "I thought I would try this out. You've seen several athletes do it, such as (Islanders') Rick DiPietro with his pads. So many people have been affected by this and a lot of people in the NHL and the players are involved."

Worthy cause, admirable statement ... but can a player with 807 career penalty minutes still be a guy with 807 career penalty minutes while wearing pink skates?

5. Did Bruce Boudreau make the right motivational decision?

The Washington Capitals enter their game against the Calgary Flames after an ugly loss at the Minnesota Wild.

"It's a tough call. I mean I'm thinking, okay, should we go out there and give them a no-pucks shellacking? Would that be better than [focusing on Saturday's game]? Or if you do that, and some guys have got injuries and they're not allowed to participate; is it worse because then you've got three fourths of the team out there?...Or do you just watch video and make some threats? We chose to at least watch some video and go over last night's game, and hopefully they get the idea of what I'm talking about."

Do the Caps' top players need more than a video session to find their groove?

Frankly, he's tired of hearing rampant speculation that suggests he's not on board with the game plan.

"We believe in the coach's message," Iginla said. "There's no one saying, `Oh man, he has no idea what he's talking about.'

"We're not saying that. We're positive."

Sutter ripped some (unnamed) players after Thursday night's loss to the Colorado Avalanche and then put the team through a vigorous practice on Friday.

7. Will footie lead Florida to fulfillment?

Other coaches have put their teams through the wringer with torturous "bag skates" after lackluster performances. Panther Coach Peter DeBoer? He allowed the team to have an unofficial "Field Day" of games on the Canadiens' turf soccer practice fields. All that was missing was a sack race. From On Frozen Pond:

"A coach, on a day like this, would like to go out and fix everything that went wrong by battling them, have them bash heads,'' DeBoer said afterward.

"But, sometimes you have to look at the big picture and what's going to make us the best team against Montreal. We just felt we'd do some video, purge last night and have some fun.''

Will fun lead to a faster start for the Panthers in Montreal?

8. Finally, is figure skating the key to NHL success?

HNIC's Inside Hockey will detail the work power skating coach Barbara Underhill is doing with players, including Brian Boyle of the New York Rangers. The future of NHL training or the greatest subliminal marketing for "Battle of the Blades" ever?

Continuing his hot start, Thomas blanked the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-0 to improve his record to 5-0-0 on the season with a ridiculous 0.60 goals-against average and even more ridiculous .981 save-percentage. Thomas made 20 saves as the Maple Leafs did not manage more than eight shots in any period. Patrice Bergeron scored his 100th career NHL goal, while Tyler Seguin scored his first one in North America. After the game, the Bruins announced that Seguin will be staying with the team this season and not sent back to juniors.

Halak kept up his strong start making 24 saves and stretching his shutout streak to 151:15 with a 3-0 win over the Nashville Predators. Patrik Berglund and Matt D'Agostini each scored their fourth of the season in the third period to wrap things up. The shutout was Halak's second straight and 11th of his career. The loss was Nashville's first in regulation this season.

In the wild game of the night, Colorado rallied back from a 3-1 deficit and ended up squeaking by the Calgary Flames 6-5 thanks to a Daniel Winnik goal with 2:20 remaining in the third period. Stewart notched his second career hat trick and moved into a tie for second place in goals scored with eight. He's also now second in the league in points on the season with 14. Ryan O'Reilly added three assists, while Paul Stastny and Kyle Cumisky each had two.

Did you know?Washington dropped to 0-5-1 all-time at Xcel Energy Center.

Dishonorable mention:Stephen Weiss and David Booth both finished minus-four for the Panthers ... Henrik Karlsson suffered his first NHL loss allowing six goals on 30 shots against the Avalanche. Despite the win, Peter Budaj hasn't been sharp for Colorado allowing 13 goals in his last three appearances ... Jordin Tootoo's hit on Carlo Colaiacovo, which earned the Predators forward five minutes for charging and a game misconduct, will be a talking point on Friday: